


Mail Order Bride

by 1farmer_girl



Series: Mail Order Bride [1]
Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Arranged Marriage, Crossdressing, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-13
Updated: 2013-01-21
Packaged: 2017-10-26 00:41:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 28,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/276662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1farmer_girl/pseuds/1farmer_girl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The year is 1855 and the east coast of America is tense with the possibility of an upcoming Civil War, but in Northern Minnesota Noah Puckerman knows nothing of such politics.  He only has to worry about how he’s going to live with the bride he’s mother is sending him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the result of a dare from a friend who said it wasn’t possible to make a believable historical mpreg. I can’t pass up a challenge, so here is my historical mpreg, whether it is believable or not I shall leave up to the reader. Also, just to clarify there are three genders in this universe; male, female, and intesex which are basically males who are able to carry children. Both female and intersex are referred to as carriers.

Art by [Firithnowen](http://firithnovwen.deviantart.com/gallery/)

______________________________________________________________________

**Puck**

Noah Puckerman had been born to rich family that wanted their son to have everything he wanted, as long as he only wanted the proper things in life.  However, Noah Puckerman had very little interest in things that were proper. 

When he was a child he had hated wearing fancy clothes and not being allowed to get dirty.  When he was a teenager he had hated having to pretend to like the stuck-up carriers that his parents paraded in front of him.  When he was an adult he had hated working in the family business and his fancy house and that busy, shallow, city. 

So, when his grandfather died, instead of doing the proper thing and investing the money he inherited, Noah Puckerman bought some land out west and left everything, including his name, without ever looking back.

The parcel of land ended up being a little over 200 acres of woods in the northern Minnesota territory with a river running through it.  For all his proper upbringing Puck didn’t know the first thing about farming and it was only with the generous help of the settlers living nearby that he made it though that first bitter winter.  But Puck was a fast learner and over the years he had become a competent farmer. 

He had built a sturdy little log house and barn where he kept his plow and livestock.  Each spring he traded 25 pounds of fish he caught in the river for one of the Adams’ piglets.  By late fall the piglet would grow into a massive hog whose meat Puck would dry so it would store all winter in the loft with dried meat from animals he’s hunted over the year. 

He grew hay to feed his mare and plow oxen through the winter as well as corn to sell in Clarksville.  He planted a small vegetable garden of onions and potatoes and squash next to the house.  Once a week he rode into the nearest town, Oak Grove, for the Sunday Service.  Sometimes he got lonely, but the farm kept him busy and the Clarksville red district was only a few hours away.

Puck managed quite well on his own for years. The only communication he had with his family back east was when he first arrived to tell his family where he had gone and that he wasn’t coming back. He’d gotten a letter from his mother a couple of months after that to say that his father had died. Puck didn’t send a reply. 

This made it all the more shocking when Puck received a letter from his mother after years of silence.  Puck didn’t really want to know what his mother wanted to tell him that would require her to break the years of silence that the two of them had had. So, instead of opening it right away he left on the table and did his best to forget about it.  It was still there when he woke up the next morning though.  His mother’s unmistakable fancy writing was there silently judging him just as much as if the woman had been standing there in person. 

After he had finished his morning chores and gotten a head start on repairing the barn roof there was nothing left that gave him an excuse to avoid the letter any longer.  With a sigh of resignation he began to read the letter.

_Dear Noah,_

_I had hoped that you would eventually return home and resume your rightful place in the family’s company, but after 3 years, I am forced to see that you are determined in this foolishness and are not going to change your mind anytime soon. While I am not happy with this outcome, I don’t see that I have any choice in the matter. So, if you refuse to do your family duty and lead the business, I hope you will at least make sure that the family line is continued. To insure that you do so, I have taken it upon myself to file a request for a carrier willing to travel and marry you.  I found a high class organization that only recruits from the best families. The Fabray’s gave it an excellent recommendation so I’m sure the service will be satisfactory. Their candidate should arrive on the 12 th of March by the train. I hope to hear from you soon regarding news about my new grandson._

_Cordially,_

_Mother_

Puck scowled after he finished reading.  Of all the meddling, conniving…this was exactly why he had moved to Minnesota in the first place; to get away from his mother.  Clearly, half a country wasn’t far enough.  And what the hell was he going to do with a carrier? Sure, a little companionship would be nice; a man had needs after all. But the north wood wasn’t an environment that a high class carrier would be happy with. 

Puck lived a hard life and if he was going to have someone to share it with, it needed it to be someone who was tough enough to work beside him. Someone who’s biggest concern was probably what to wear to the latest social gathering simply wouldn’t do. 

In the middle of his fuming something clicked in his brain. The train was arriving on the 12th, that was today, damn it.  A quick glance out the one window at the sun told him that the aforementioned train was due to arrive any minute, if it hadn’t already.  By the time he got the horse hitched and made it into town the poor kid would have been waiting at least two hours. 

Puck swore several times as he readied the cart, though he noticed that they weren’t directed towards the carrier that was going to change pretty much every aspect of his life, but at his mother and the winter snow that would lengthen his trip so much from the less than an hour journey it was in the summer.  Reminded of the cold weather that the carrier probably wouldn’t be used to, Puck ran back into the house to grab a few more furs. 

Finally, Puck got his mare headed towards town, urging her to hurry as quickly as possible in the snow.  She was a steady, trustworthy creature who had long learned the route to and from town without need of any real guidance from Puck. This gave Puck the chance to let his mind wander. 

This certainly wasn’t the way he’d expected the day to go, but what’s done was done and there was no point cursing his mother anymore, even if it would be fun. Instead, he wondered what the carrier would be like. He wished his mother had said what organization the carrier had come from since that would tell a lot about what kind of training the carrier had received.  This country was tough and Puck needed someone just as tough to keep up with him. 

Another question on Puck’s mind was whether the carrier was completely female or one of the rarer intersexes. The chances of that were slim. Intersexes were highly sought after because their rarity gave them an exotic quality, not to mention their rumored talents in the bedroom.  Most started receiving marriage proposals before they were even 14 years old.  It was highly unlikely that one would have to resort to a carrier service in order to get a husband. 

Still, a man could dream, right?  Puck smirked at the idea of a beautiful intersex in his kitchen, holding his arm as they walked out of the church after the Sunday service, moaning softly in his bed.  Puck adjusted his tightening breeches as he headed into town.

**Kurt**

Kurt Hummel shivered and wrapped his fur coat closer around himself.  Yet again he had to force himself to not let any tears fall.  They wouldn’t help anything and would probably make him even colder.  Instead, he directed his thoughts away from how cold he was towards the hateful man he had been sent to. Honestly, this may be a backwards country, hundreds of miles from any civilization, but that was no excuse for being nearly 2 hours late. 

Kurt didn’t know what he would do if this “Noah Puckerman” didn’t show up.  There didn’t seem to be any sort of hotel in this town and Kurt didn’t have any money to buy a train ticket back east.  He supposed he could sell off some of his clothes to buy a ticket, though his heart broke at the idea of parting with any part of his wardrobe.  Stupid, stupid Noah Puckerman, this was all his fault.  But no, Kurt thought, that wasn’t fair.  Kurt never would have considered coming out to this godforsaken wilderness if it wasn’t for Karofsky. 

Kurt’s mother had died when he was just a few years old and his father was a ship’s captain who would be gone for months at a time until he returned home.  Except for his last voyage that he had never come home from.  Kurt had waited, but weeks turned to months and soon the debt collectors started calling.  Kurt tried the best way he could, but when the landlord Karofsky came for that quarter’s rent, Kurt had no money to give him.  Karofsky had tried to strike a deal saying he would forgive the whole debt if Kurt would marry him.

Kurt couldn’t think of anything worse than that, so he registered with a local carrier provider and packed all his necessities (which was mostly his wardrobe) and snuck out of the house in the middle of the night.  It hadn’t been hard to find an interested party quickly.  The Hummels were a highly respected family and Kurt had received the best of educations.  The fact that he was an intersex certainly didn’t hurt, either.

The situation wasn’t perfect.  Kurt had hoped to marry someone for love, but it was a better alternative to marrying that horrid man Karofsky and Kurt had been quite proud of himself for finding such an airtight escape from that dilemma.

_It would be even better if the man he had run away to had the decency to show up on time_ , Kurt thought bitterly.

He leaned over the railing on the train stop shelter one more time and looked up and down the street to see if there was any sight of Mr. Puckerman.  To the right there was a black shape coming closer, but at the moment it was still too far away to see clearly.  Within a couple of minutes, Kurt could make out a pretty black horse pulling a two person buggy.  The man in the cart had an unappealing smirk on his face, but he looked tall and broad-shouldered, though it was hard to tell because of the thick winter coat he was wearing.  As he got even closer Kurt could see that Noah Puckerman, for who else would come out in this weather, had thick dark hair and rather nice facial features. 

Kurt shook himself, it didn’t matter how good-looking the man was, if he thought he was going to get away with being so late, he had another thing coming.

**Puck**

Puck steered his mare down the main street (also the only street) in town.  Sure enough there was a small figure standing in the train shelter, surrounded by a lot of luggage.  If Puck had known that one person could own so much stuff he would have brought the wagon.  He could probably only fit 1 or 2 in the buggy.  Still, he could just store the rest in the train station for a day or two until he could bring the wagon in. 

As he drove up he wondered idly why a carrier, who clearly came from a well-off family to have that many possessions, would be willing to come out west. And, oh my, the carrier he’d been sent was an intersex. Holy shit, clearly God did love him ‘cause he had sent Puck a cute little intersex with rosy cheeks and big eyes that couldn’t decide if they wanted to be blue or green.  Puck stared in awe until he was snapped out of it by a sharp voice. 

“Are you Noah Puckerman?”

It took Puck half a second to realize that, yes, his name was Noah, even if no one ever called him that anymore. 

“Yes, I-,”

“Do you know what time it is?”

“Well-,”

“Are there no clocks in Minnesota?  I could have frozen to death out here or been attacked by wolves or savages.  I certainly hope you aren’t planning on making this lack of punctuation a regular thing.”

Goodness, for such a cute kid he sure had a mouth on himself.  Society generally expected carriers to be meek and quiet.  Puck couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen a carrier this feisty. Of course, Puck being Puck, his mind quickly turned to dirty thoughts and wondered if the carrier was just as feisty in bed, or if a few touches in the right places would have him mewling like a kitten.

“I’m sorry I’m late.  There are clocks in Minnesota, but in the winter the mail delivery ain’t the best. I only just got the news you were coming a few hours ago. I got here as fast as I could with all the snow.” Puck decided it would be best not to mention he actually got the letter yesterday, but hadn’t bothered to open it until today.

“Oh,” the carrier visibly deflated, “Well, I suppose I can make allowances this one time.”

“Thanks,” Puck said drily, “Are you going to tell me your name?”

“Oh, right,” and the kid actually blushed, “I’m Kurt Hummel, it’s nice to meet you, Noah.”  And he held out his hand to shake.  Puck climbed out of the buggy to shake the extended hand. 

“You can just call me Puck, only my mother calls me Noah. Can I help you into the buggy?”

That lovely blush got even deeper as Kurt answered “Yes, thank you.”

Puck frowned as he lifted Kurt into the cart.  He was way too skinny; even with the fur coat he was wearing he weighed next to nothing.  That was something that would have to take care of.  Puck liked his partners to have some healthy curves.

“So,” Puck started turning back to the multitude of suitcases, “Which one of these do you want?”

“What?” Kurt’s eyes were large and horrified. “I need all of those.”

“You need,” Puck did a quick count, “14 suitcases for a couple of days?  ‘Cause these won’t all fit in the buggy.”

Kurt pouted. “All right then, I guess I can manage with just the black and white checkered one for now, but only if you promise to come back for the rest.”

Satisfied, Puck hefted the aforementioned suitcase, which just happened to be the largest of the group and tied it to the rack on the back of the buggy.  Then he climbed into the seat next to Kurt.  “You need more blankets? It’s about a two hour ride to the house and it’d be a real shame to get frostbite on your pretty self.” And the kid was blushing again. One would think he’d never gotten a compliment before.

“I’m fine, thank you,” Kurt said softly, while looking up a Puck through his eyelashes, which made Puck think entirely inappropriate thoughts.

“Well, good then,” Puck coughed and shifted uncomfortably.

The two rode on for awhile with only the sound of horse hooves on the snow to fill the awkward silence until Kurt turned toward him and said “So, I suppose you should tell me a bit about yourself.”

Puck shrugged, “Not much to tell really. I used to live in Boston, but decided that wasn’t the life I wanted to live and bought a couple hundred acres out here a few years back. I spend most of the day outside farming or carving wood furniture to sell in town. I go into Oak Grove on Sunday for the church service. I go into Clarksville once or twice a year if I need supplies I can’t get at the general store here. That’s about it.  I’m sure you have a more interesting story. How did a sweet thing like you end up in this neck of the woods?” The last bit was probably a little unnecessary, but with a blush like that the kid was just asking for it. 

Sure enough Kurt flushed red before answering, “My father was a ship’s captain who was lost to sea. His employers refused to give me any of his back pay, even though they owed nearly a year’s worth. I wasn’t able to pay the rent on our house and when I asked the landlord for an extension he said he would only do that if I agreed to marry him. He was a horrible, nasty man, with a drinking problem, so I asked him to let me have a few days to think about it and as soon as I left I went to a decent carrier provider service I knew about. They were able to match me up with you right away. They gave me a train ticket and I snuck out of the house in the middle of the night.”

“Huh, how did you manage to sneak out with 14 suitcases?” Puck inquired.

Kurt laughed and wasn’t that a beautiful sound. “I don’t think Karofsky, that’s the name of the landlord; I don’t think he really thought me capable of doing anything like that so he didn’t have anyone watching me or anything.”

“Well, I’ll have to do my best to be better that this Karofsky fellow,” Puck said.

“I assure you it shouldn’t be all that difficult.  He was an extremely unpleasant man without a single redeeming quality. But enough about Karofsky, tell me more about Oak Grove. From what I saw it seems like such a quaint little town.”

For the rest of the trip back to his, their, house Puck told Kurt about the people who lived in town, the school teacher that would be coming in the summer, the hope that being on the new train line would eventually bring more people to the small town, and what few social functions there were in Oak Grove.  Before long Puck pulled up in front of the house and sent Kurt inside to warm up.  After seeing Kurt safely inside Puck turned the mare toward the barn in a much better mood then when he had left earlier that day.

**Kurt**

Kurt glanced around Puck’s house when he entered.  He didn’t want to seem like a snoop, though technically it was his house now too. There didn’t seem to be a lot. There was only one room, with a small loft above. There was a small table and two chairs in the middle of the room.  On the far wall was a shelf holding some dishes and a Bible. The wall to the left was mostly taken up by a large fireplace. There was a bed next to the fireplace with a wooden chest underneath it. 

Kurt could feel himself flushing yet again. He seemed to be doing that a lot since he had met Puck. He knew essentially what a married couple could do in their bed after the sun had set and despite what some people might think he wasn’t completely naive. He realized that Puck would want to do…those things, but it hadn’t really hit him until just now. Saints above! In a matter of a few short days his closely guarded virginity could be no more. 

Kurt barely made it into one of the wooden chairs before his knees gave out. He took a few deep breathes before he could start hyperventilating. There was no reason to panic just yet. Who knew how long it would take to find a pastor in this backwards country. It could be weeks before he had to worry about Puck taking him to bed. 

Besides there were far more important duties for a carrier than warming a man’s bed.  Kurt had attended St. Timothy’s, the best carrier school in the country and he shuddered to think what Madame Grace would say if she knew he was sitting around thinking about night time activities when there was dinner to make.

This would give him an excellent chance to show Puck that he actually did have some skills and was capable of doing something other than blushing. Kurt took off his coat and hung it on a hook by the door and turned towards his task full of optimism. He climbed up into the loft to see what was available and soon saw that he had his work cut out for him. 

There was a line of different dried meats hanging from the rafters. There was a large box of potatoes and another of onions. There was a nearly empty bag of flour, a nearly full bag of brown sugar and a mid-size case of coffee beans. Hoping there was a general store somewhere in town where he could get a little more variety of food; Kurt rolled up his sleeves and set to work.

Venison stew wasn’t the most creative meal, but judging from what was available Puck wasn’t expecting anything too extravagant.  There was already a pot of water hanging above a smoldering fire.  Kurt had never cooked over an open flame before, but surely it couldn’t be all that different from a stove. He added a couple logs to heat the flame up and while he waited for the water to come to a boil he chopped up a couple potatoes and onions and a decent-sized chunk of venison. 

Puck came back into the house just as he was adding the ingredients. Puck was flushed from the cold and stomping snow off of his boots. He looked a little surprised to see Kurt as if he had already forgotten Kurt was there. They had been talking alright in the buggy, but it seemed like during the half hour they had been apart they had reverted back to their previous awkwardness.

Puck washed up a bit before turning to Kurt and asking, “You, uh, you need any help with dinner?”

“No, thanks, I’m pretty much done here; we just need to wait a while for the potatoes and meat to soften. Why don’t you take a seat?”

Puck sat down with a small smile and watched Kurt bustle around the room, stirring the stew, setting dishes on the table and doing some general straightening up. Puck seemed content and even happy as he watched Kurt busy himself and Kurt was surprised by how much he liked the basic hominess of the situation. He could easily see himself still playing out this very scene 10 years in the future, maybe with a few more chairs around the table to accommodate any additions to the family…

Kurt was lining Puck’s boots against the wall when a sharp intake of breath from Puck distracted him from his daydream. Kurt was about turn around and ask what the matter was when he realized the position he was in. He was bent over at the waist, his rear end on full and blatant display to Puck. 

Wondering when he had become so bold and hoping none of his decorum teachers ever found out, Kurt accidently/on purpose knocked over one of Puck’s boots and did some unnecessary wiggling of his rear to set it upright. He then stood up and determinably didn’t look at Puck to keep himself from dying of embarrassment. Fortunately, the stew was finished so he had plenty to distract him, filling up the two bowls with the steaming food.

“Smells delicious,” Puck said softly, as Kurt took the seat opposite Puck.

“Thank you, it was nothing really. Would you say grace, please?”

“Oh, right,” Puck moved his hand away from his spoon and Kurt wondered if he had forgotten to say grace because he was so eager to try Kurt’s cooking. Kurt warmed a little at the thought as he folded his hands and listened to Puck’s deep voice recite the Lord’s Prayer.

The two ate in silence for a little while, Puck shoveling the stew in his mouth at a flattering rate.  Within a few minutes, Kurt was spooning a second helping into Puck’s bowl. It seemed like a good time to bring up the need for a greater variety of available food, so remembering that the quickest way to a man’s heart was through his stomach Kurt opened with, “I’m glad you find my stew pleasing, even though it is nothing special. I’m hoping to add some to the larder to make some more interesting meals for you.”

Puck frowned.  “What were you thinking, ‘cause this time of year the general store doesn’t have that much.”

“Oh,” Kurt deflated. He’d thought that money would be the only obstacle. He hadn’t considered that what he considered staples in the kitchen wouldn’t be available out here. It might be harder than he thought to adjust to living in the Wild West.

Puck seemed to notice Kurt’s indecision because he said, “I’ll hitch up the wagon tomorrow to get your luggage. If you want to come with I’ll take you to the general store and you can see what they have available.”

“Thank you, I really appreciate it,” Kurt paused, trying to figure out how best to phrase his next words without offending Puck. “I want you to know, I’m not really the spoiled, rich person you might think I am. I know life is going to be different from what I’m used to and since we’re going to be together I…I don’t want you to be too proud or embarrassed to tell me if I’m asking for too much.”

Puck didn’t say anything at first and Kurt was worried that maybe he was mad, but he was just watching Kurt with a thoughtful expression on his face. “I did think you were a little spoiled,” Puck said finally, “I gotta tell you, 14 suitcases ain’t a great first impression. But I see now that you aren’t really like that, so I apologize for jumping to conclusions. You don’t have to worry about the money though.  Contrary to appearances,” Here Puck made a gesture to encompass the sparse house, “I’m actually doing pretty good, money wise. Never had anybody to buy stuff for before, so I never spent that much.”

Kurt smiled, grateful that Puck didn’t seem to be one of those men who were too proud to be honest with their partners. For the first time in several days Kurt was truly happy.  He’d really lucked out being sent to Puck. Kurt knew that there were a lot of unpleasant men in the world, but Puck seemed like a real gentleman. He was a little rough around the edges to be sure, but he was kind and polite and it didn’t hurt that he was very good looking.

As he started cleaning up the supper mess Kurt couldn’t help thinking that Puck may just be the sort of person he could fall in love with. These thoughts made what happened next all the more devastating.

Kurt had melted a pan of snow over the fire to wash the dishes with and was putting the dried bowls back on the shelf when he felt Puck’s presence come up behind him. Turning around, Kurt started to see Puck so close to him. 

“Uh,” Kurt stammered, unsure how he should handle this situation. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“Dinner was delicious,” Puck said huskily, wrapping an arm around Kurt’s waist and pulling him close.

“Well, thank you, that’s very kind of you to say. I always got top marks in cooking. That and French were my best subjects at St. Timothy’s. Madame Lenore always complimented me on my accent.” Kurt knew distantly that he was rambling, but his mind didn’t seem to be working quite right with Puck holding him so close. Puck really wasn’t that much taller than Kurt, but farm work seemed to have given him far more muscles than any of the men from the city that had courted Kurt before. Kurt laid his hands on Puck’s chest, telling himself that he would do the proper thing and push Puck away, but instead found himself instantly distracted by the solid pectoral muscles he felt there.

“Let me thank you properly,” Puck said, breaking Kurt from his reverie.

“Wha?”  Was all Kurt got out before Puck’s mouth sealed itself over Kurt’s. Now, Kurt had been kissed before. Polite, chaste kisses from boys after dances and in tucked away alcoves, but never like this. Puck had gone straight past chaste into a dirty, wrong, messy kiss that surely only prostitutes would permit. 

Kurt had been raised to be a good and proper intersex, told by his father and all his teachers that only his husband should touch him in such a way, but it felt so good with Puck’s tongue in his mouth and one of Puck’s hands running though his hair, the other low on his back, that Kurt forgot himself. It wasn’t until the hand on his back drifted down to his bottom that Kurt snapped out of it, ashamed that he had allowed things to go so far.

Pushing Puck away he gasped, “What do you think you’re doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Puck growled, “I’m claiming my bride.”

Kurt’s eyes narrowed. “You’re bride?  Let me remind you, Puck, that we aren’t married yet.”

“So what, we’ll get Pastor Schuester do his thing after the service on Sunday. What difference does it make if I take you to bed now or in a few days?  It’s what you came out west for anyway, right?”

Kurt was so shocked he almost didn’t notice Puck moving in to kiss him again. Well and truly mad now, Kurt slapped Puck across the face. “Yes, Noah Puckerman, I came out here to be your bride and submit to all that marriage entails, but when, and only when, we are properly married before God and country will I allow you to bed me. If all you wanted was s-sex, then you should have gone to a whorehouse.”

Puck had drawn back at Kurt slap and narrowed his eyes at his words. “Well, maybe I’ll do just that,” he hissed. “At least I don’t have to worry about a whore being a frigid cocktease.” Then Puck turned and marched out the door leaving Kurt standing alone in the house.

At first, Kurt was beyond furious. Who did that country bumpkin think he was, saying such horrid things?  He was Kurt freaking Hummel; he had graduated from St. Timothy’s with honors and had dined with French nobles and he demanded the respect he deserved gosh darn it. If Noah Puckerman couldn’t see what an amazing catch Kurt was, it was his own fault and he could spend all the money he wanted getting prostitutes to keep him warm at night.

But then Kurt looked out the window and saw that the mare that had been pulling the buggy earlier was still in the pasture by the barn. Puck must have not gone to a brothel after all, but just gone outside to blow off steam. As Kurt got ready for bed he realized that he wasn’t truly angry anymore, just upset and a little lost. Had it really only been an hour since he had been thinking about the wonderful life and family he and Puck could have together? 

Kurt hesitated before blowing out the light and crawling into the bed. He didn’t want to send out the wrong signals, but he certainly wasn’t going to sleep on the floor. After awhile, Puck came back inside and Kurt pretended to be asleep. He could here Puck breathing harshly above him and he hoped against hope that Puck wouldn’t try to join Kurt on the bed.  Thankfully, Puck did leave; stomping up the steps to the loft.  Kurt relaxed and eventually drifted off to sleep, but not before he had dampened his pillow with tears.  


	2. Chapter 2

**Puck**

  
Puck couldn’t see his ceiling in the dark, but he scowled up at it anyway.  This was not at all how he thought his night would be going.  Since he’d first seen Kurt at the train station his mind had supplied fantasy after fantasy of all the amazing sex he could have with Kurt, since there was no way anyone could be that beautiful and not be capable of providing amazing sex.  Seriously, Puck thought Kurt could probably just lie on the bed and do nothing and it would still be amazing sex.

However, in all Puck’s years of fornicating he had never once found pain to be sexually stimulating, so that slap had cooled his ardor considerably.  At first Puck had been royally pissed off.  His advances had never once been turned down and his ego had been stung to have his perfect record ruined. 

The result being, Puck had lashed out and said some truly hateful things to Kurt that he did not deserve.  Puck never intended to go to a whorehouse when he’d stormed out of the house earlier; he just knew that he needed to get out of the house before he said anything else cruel to Kurt. 

The cold air outside had helped considerably towards cooling Puck’s anger.  However, once he was no longer angry he hadn’t wanted to face Kurt after the things that had been said.  So, he’d waited in the barn until the light in the house had gone out before going back inside. 

In the dark, Puck could make out the shape of Kurt lying on the bed and doing a rather poor job of pretending to be asleep.  His breathing was uneven, almost like he was trying to hold back sobs.  And didn’t that just make Puck feel like the biggest asshole on God’s green earth.  Kurt was a good kid, who deserved a lot better than Puck.

As Puck tried to make himself comfortable on the floor of the loft he thought, that he wasn’t really a bad man, just one who wasn’t very good at doing the proper thing.  He’d never seriously courted a carrier before, female or intersex.  He’d always been able to get all the sex he could ever want just by laying on the charm, so he’d never seen the point of getting laid the proper way through marriage. 

But of course, Kurt was good at being proper and had probably never even considered having sex before there was a ring on his finger.  No wonder he reacted so strongly to Puck’s advances.  He probably knew Puck, or at least Puck’s mother, had paid for the carrier provider’s services just like Puck paid his prostitutes for sex.  Kurt probably thought that was all Puck saw him as, just a prostitute he didn’t have to travel all the way to Clarksville to get. 

Puck didn’t think that at all though, but he knew he and Kurt were going to get married as soon as he could arrange it with Pastor Schuester, so what was the point of waiting to have sex when they knew they were going to have it anyway?    
Of course, Puck thought rolling onto his side, there was a chance Kurt might go back east now. It was fairly unorthodox for carriers to leave after they’d essentially been engaged, but Kurt seemed like he was upset enough that he just might do it.  If it was anyone else, Puck probably would just let them go. But there was just something about the sweet little intersex with his plump lips and feisty attitude and mouthwatering cooking. Puck can’t quite put his finger on it, but nobody has ever captured his attention quite like Kurt had managed to do in less than a day. Puck wasn’t going to let such a good thing just walk away and he fell asleep wondering how he was going to convince Kurt to give him a second chance.

Puck woke in the morning to the smell of coffee brewing and meat frying. It had been years since anyone had made breakfast for him and he lay still for a long moment reveling in what a comfortable feeling it gave him. Surely, if Kurt bothered to make coffee it meant that he couldn’t hate Puck too badly. 

Peeking over the side of the loft, Puck could look down and see Kurt setting at the table. He had his hands wrapped around a mug of coffee and he was staring out the window at the rising sun. His hair was once again styled perfectly and he was wearing a red gingham dress. Damn, red was definitely Kurt’s color. 

Puck would have liked to stay in the loft and perve on Kurt a while longer, but he figured he should probably try to smooth things over with the intersex. Puck got up and stretched, trying to word his apology as he headed down the steps. He realized his work was cut out for him when Kurt didn’t acknowledge his presence at all, though there was no way he couldn’t have heard Puck coming down those creaky steps. 

“Good morning,” Puck said, pouring himself some coffee and picking some ham out of the frying pan above the fire with his fingers. That got him a glare, but at least Kurt was looking at him now. “Listen, about last night-.”

“Last night?!  You want to talk about last night?  Fine, then let me just say this.  Believe it or not, I have actually been around my fair share of immoral behavior in the past.  My father worked on a dock wharf, so I’ve been around sailors my entire life, these things happen.  I even indulged a couple of their advances.  But never, _never_ , in my entire life have I been treated as rudely as I was last night and that is all I have to say on the subject.” With that Kurt lifted chin and turned his gaze back towards the window.

Puck felt something in his chest tighten at the thought of Kurt allowing as strange sailor to kiss him, but he didn’t want to think about what that might mean, so he pushed it aside and began his planned apology. 

“Well, I’ve got a couple of things I’d like to say to you. First of which, is that I’m sorry for the things I did and even more sorry for the things I said last night. I know it’s not really an excuse, but I don’t really know what I’m doing here. I’ve never really courted anyone before. My parents were always trying to get me interested in carriers from good families, but I always thought they were stuck up so I never started anything with them. When I got older I was actually propositioned by a couple of older, widowed carriers.” 

That got Kurt’s attention and he turned to stare at Puck, his mouth slightly agape.  “It was nothing serious. They were just lonely people who thought I was handsome, but I learned that I didn’t have to tie myself down to one of those obnoxious carriers in order to, uh, have certain manly needs met. So what happened last night happened because I’ve never gone through the proper steps and I forgot that you were the sort of carrier who would expect them. I still don’t really see why it’s such a big deal to wait until after the wedding since we’re getting married anyway, but I can see that it’s important to you, so for that reason I shall wait until our wedding night before taking you to bed. That is, if you are still willing to marry me?”

Some time passed while Kurt just sat with his head tilted adorably to the side before he said, “I suppose there really isn’t any question of me going back east. No matter how despicable you behavior was last night, it still didn’t come close to what I’m sure Karofsky is capable of. So, I’m willing to give you another chance, provided you remember your promise to wait.”

Puck ducked his head as if in agreement, but actually it was to hide his grin. He’d been really worried Kurt would go back east, but hearing that he would stay seemed to lift a huge weight off Puck’s shoulders that he hadn’t realized he had. 

“Thank you for accepting my apology,” Puck said. “I promise to do my best to make sure you never regret it.” Kurt smiled sweetly at those words and Puck realized he was willing to do a lot of things he’d never wanted to do before, just to keep seeing that smile. That unfamiliar feeling reminded him of Kurt previous admission to having previous sailor liaisons. 

“So, when you say that you’ve indulged advances previously, what exactly does that mean?”  Puck asked, trying to keep his voice neutral.

Kurt flushed, “Well, if you must know, I let my father’s helmsman, Matthew, kiss me on multiple occasions last summer. Of course, they were proper, chaste kisses; nothing at all like whatever you were doing last night. But he never even asked my father’s permission to court me or anything.”  Kurt sounded quite proud of his so-called scandalous actions.

Puck snorted, “That’s it?  A couple of quick, undercover pecks is the best you got for indecent behavior?”

“Oh, shut up.  Don’t you have…chores or something you need to be doing?” Kurt scowled.

“That I do, beautiful, that I do.”  Puck headed out to the barn, chuckling under his breath.  


  
 **Kurt**

  
After Puck left, Kurt felt a little unsure of himself.  He couldn’t remember the last time his emotions had been pulled in so many different directions so fast.  On the train ride, he’d been nervous and apprehensive, then annoyed when Puck was late. Then there were those few glorious hours when he thought things were going to work out for the two of them. Then there’d been the anger over the kiss and the heartbreak it caused Kurt. Now, after his conversation with Puck, Kurt felt like he was back to being nervous and apprehensive. 

He was unsure if he was doing the right thing staying with Puck, but he’d didn’t see any other choices. Kurt had heard rumors about how Karofsky treated his servants. Kurt wasn’t usually inclined to listen to rumors, but those bruises on Karofsky’s scullery maid, Mary, hadn’t gotten there by themselves. It wasn’t that far a stretch for a man who would physically harmful his servants to be hurt other people in his life. Puck might be a bit lewd, but Kurt didn’t think he was violent. Sighing, Kurt figured there was no point worrying about his decision and got to work cleaning up the breakfast dishes. 

Before too long, Puck was coming back inside. “I’ve hitched up the wagon if you want to go get your suitcases,” he opened with. 

“Oh, yes! Just give me a few minutes.” In all the excitement of the last day Kurt had actually forgotten about his abandoned wardrobe. Hurriedly, Kurt finished drying the dishes and smoothed his hair before putting on his coat. Puck had also promised they would go to the general store after picking up the luggage and Kurt wanted to make a good impression on the townspeople, if only to insure he got an invite to what few social gatherings there were.

The winter air was biting, but Puck had several thick furs that Kurt could bury himself under, so he didn’t really notice the cold. Puck didn’t seem to want to tempt the truce the two of them had reached and didn’t say anything during the trip. Kurt didn’t mind the silence though since it gave him a chance to pay closer attention to the land they were traveling through. 

Kurt had never seen so many trees before. On either side of the road there were huge trees that seemed older than time itself. Right now the trees were bare and there was sunlight reflecting off the snow, making everything bright and friendly. However, it wasn’t hard for Kurt to imagine that the woods would be rather scary at night during the summer with leaves rustling in the wind. 

As they drove into Oak Grove, Kurt couldn’t help thinking that it looked like something in a picture. The few little buildings were covered in snow and there was a person dotted here and there so picturesquely it seemed almost as though it had been done on purpose. Puck pulled the wagon up to the train stop and began piling in the luggage. Kurt was a little ashamed to realize that it took up almost half the space in the wagon. 

He really shouldn’t have brought so much, there wasn’t anywhere to put it all back at Puck’s house, but he’d been so sad to be forced to leave the house he’d grown up in that Kurt hadn’t been able to part with anything. It seemed like everything had either been given to him by his father or had some precious memory tied to it. 

“What am I going to do with all this?” Kurt wondered, not realizing he’d said it out loud until Puck responded.

“I wouldn’t worry about it. We’ll find a place for everything. If you want I could build a couple shelves for some of it.”

“You’d really do that for me?” Kurt asked incredulous.

“Sure, the only reason my home is so empty right now is cause nothing from my old house was worth bringing, but I’m guessing all this stuff is pretty important to you.”

Kurt was so taken aback by Puck’s insight that all he could do was nod in agreement as Puck urged the oxen down the street.  He pulled up in front of a building with a sign reading “BERRY’S GENERAL STORE” above the door. 

“Berry?” Kurt queried as Puck helped him down from the wagon.

“Yeah, it’s owned by Thomas and David Berry.  They opened it nearly 15 years ago before Oak Grove was really even a town.  They got a daughter, Rachel, about your age, but she’s studying at the university in New York City right now.”

After Kurt was safely on the ground, Puck reached back into the wagon seat and pulled out a couple of the furs.  “I’ve been meaning to bring these in to sell for some time now,” he explained in response to Kurt’s curious glance.

The general store was a lot smaller than any store Kurt had been to before, but it was packed with objects ranging from massive bags of flour to bolts of colorful cloth to a beautiful wooden rocking chair. Kurt would have stopped just inside the door to try and take in all the things to see, but Puck tugged him further inside and up to a countertop at the back of the shop. Behind the counter was an older man tallying up figures in a large account book.

“Thomas!” Puck called in greeting, “Pull your nose out of that book for a minute. There’s someone I’d like to introduce you to.”

The man, Thomas apparently, looked up and smiled when he recognized Puck. “Why Puck this is a pleasant surprise.  I think this is the first time I’ve seen you in town on a day that wasn’t Sunday.”

“Well, Kurt here thought my food supply was a little inadequate so I thought we’d come in and see if we could fix that.  Kurt, come on up here and meet Thomas Berry. Thomas, this is Kurt Hummel, the carrier whose going to be my bride.” Kurt blushed, unsure how he felt about this introduction, but he stepped forward gamely in order to shake hands with Thomas.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Thomas. This is a lovely shop you have.”

“Well, aren’t you a polite one,” Thomas said, shaking Kurt’s hand. “My partner, David, will be sorry he missed you, but he went into Clarksville for a few days to visit his sister.”

Puck apparently wasn’t all the big on pleasantries, because he cut in saying, “Kurt why don’t you see what they have in stock while I work out a price with Thomas for these furs.”

Kurt could see that Puck hadn’t been kidding about the lack of selection, but he headed over to see what he could find that would be useful. There weren’t any fresh fruits or vegetables, but Kurt picked out two pint jars of canned peaches, a crate of four dozen large brown eggs packed in sawdust so they wouldn’t break, a large wheel of yellow cheese, some yeast to make bread with and some other spices to flavor his cooking. He also picked out another box of coffee beans and a 10 lbs bag of flour. Kurt brought all his selections up to the counter and then turned his attention back of the rocking chair he’d noticed earlier.

Kurt had never seen a chair like that one before in his life. The seat was ordinary enough, but the back and legs looked like random tree branches had just been stuck together, but when Kurt reached out to touch it he found that the wood had been sanded until it was as soft as satin.

So enthralled was Kurt that he didn’t notice Puck come up next to him. “Do you like that?” Puck asked.

“It’s quite remarkable,” Kurt said, “I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“I made it,” Puck said nonchalantly. “Is this all the stuff you wanted?” He asked gesturing towards Kurt’s pile.

“What? Yes, that’s everything, but wait, you made that chair?” Kurt asked, trying to keep up with Puck’s long strides as he headed back to the counter. “That’s amazing, I had no idea you were so talented. That’s…What are you doing?” Once they’d made it back to the counter, Puck had grabbed Kurt’s hand and was wrapping a piece of string around his left ring finger, startling Kurt enough to make him forget about the chair for the moment

“What’s it look like I’m doing?  I’m measuring you for a ring obviously.” Puck said gruffly, handing the string back to  
Thomas, “You’ll have that ready by Sunday right?”

“No problem, I’m sure we have something in this size, I just need to dig it out of the back room,” Thomas said. “And don’t worry about Pastor Schuester.  He’s eating with me tonight and I’ll tell him you’re in need of his services then.”

“Great, then I guess if you’ll just add Kurt’s selections to the tab we’ll be all set.”  
Kurt didn’t hear Thomas ring up their purchases, still floored by what he’d just heard.  It wasn’t until he and Puck were taking their packages back out to the wagon that he managed to ask, “You’re really getting me a wedding ring?”

Puck looked at him like he’d said he wanted to go bear hunting tomorrow.  “Of course, I’m getting you a wedding ring. You want one don’t you?”

“Yes, I just, I mean…I wasn’t expecting one is all.”

“You’re kind of an odd one you know that? One minute you’re saying you want things done properly, and the next you’re surprised when I do what you say you want me to do,” Puck said while helping Kurt back into the wagon. 

“No, I just meant, oh never mind. Let’s just get home before the eggs freeze and crack open. The temperature seems to have dropped quite a bit.”

“Naw, it just seems that way cause we don’t have as many furs as when we drove in.”

“Oh right,” Kurt said, shivering.

“You cold?”Puck asked as they headed out of town. “Here, maybe this will help,” and he moved his arm as if he was going to wrap it around Kurt’s shoulder’s, but stopped before he set it down. “You’re not going to slap me again, right?” Puck clarified.

Kurt shook his head, figuring his decorum teachers would surely forgive this questionable behavior since it was so cold.  Kurt sighed at the warm weight being wrapped around him as Puck pulled him closer to his side.  Kurt buried his face in Puck’s shoulder and breathed deep, smelling not a hint of cologne, but rather sweat and earth.  Kurt was surprised to realize he liked this smell far better than any of the fancy scents from back east.  Yes, Kurt thought as he snuggled even closer, he had most definitely made the right decision staying to marry Puck.  


  
 **Puck**

  
Puck floated on cloud nine for the next two days.  Kurt had been a little standoffish after their fight, only letting Puck touch him to help him in and out of the wagon and then moving away as soon as his feet were on the ground.  But something had changed while they were at Berry’s.  Maybe buying the wedding ring had proved to Kurt that Puck was serious in his intentions. 

Whatever it had been, Puck definitely wasn’t complaining about the results. On the ride back from town, Kurt had let Puck wrap an arm around him, strictly for warmth. And within a few minutes Kurt had, of his own volition, snuggled as close as two people could get without crawling into Puck’s lap. Not that Puck would have complained if he had.   
For the rest of the night and the next day Kurt had been sweet and open, allowing Puck to kiss him good night, though he moved away before things got to be too serious. He continued to make the most delicious meals with such modest provisions. Puck couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten so well. 

What touched Puck the most though was when Kurt had asked to “help” Puck in the barn with the chores. He hadn’t been able to provide any actual assistance, but just having his company had been nice. Before Kurt had come, Puck often went for days without seeing another person and though he hated to admit it, it sometimes got lonely.  
But when Kurt put his mind to it he could chatter away like nobody’s business.  He talked about his friends and teachers from back east while Puck put the finishing touches on a table Widow Hudson had ordered.  He talked about the trip to Paris his father paid for when he graduated with top honors from St. Timothy’s while Puck shoveled away the snow that had drifted in front of the barn door. He talked about the need for them to get some chickens of their own once spring came. “There’s so much room that it’s quite impractical for us to travel all the way into town to get eggs. I can’t believe you never thought to get your own chickens before.”

In fact, the only time Kurt was quiet was when Puck fed the mare and oxen. Kurt seemed in a sort of hushed awe of the big animals. 

“I’ve never been so close before,” Kurt murmured softly. “My mother was killed when she was thrown from her horse, so my father never let me learn how to ride.”

“Here,” Puck scooped some grain into Kurt’s hand. “Hold your hand flat so she don’t nip you accidently.”

Kurt did as instructed and shyly held the grain out in offering to the mare. She whickered in thanks before dipping her head down to eat. Her wide mouth brushed against Kurt’s palm causing him to giggle.

“What’s her name?” Kurt asked when the mare turned her attention back to the hay.

“I never gave her one,” Puck said, tying the feed bag back up.

“Well, that won’t do, she needs to have a name.  From now on, let’s call her…Flame.”

“Flame?”

“Yes, see she’s has this little white patch on her forehead that looks just like a candle flame.  It’s perfect.”

Actually, Puck didn’t think ‘Flame’ was such a perfect name for an old cart horse, but Kurt looked too pleased with himself for Puck to say anything negative.

“I suppose you’ll want to name the oxen too.”

“Of course, they shall be named Peter and Robert.”

“And how did you come up with those names?”

“Easy, there were two blacksmiths I knew back east who were named Peter and Robert. They were just like these oxen; big, strong and reliable.”

“You know,” Puck started awkwardly, “People have told me I’m pretty reliable. And you want to talk about strong, have you seen these guns?” Here Puck flexed slightly for Kurt’s benefit.

“Oh, I’m sure your quite strong,” Kurt laughed as he headed back into the house, “I just think it might be a little hard explaining to people why the ox was named after my husband.”

Puck watched him go, not even trying to deny that the grin on his face was because Kurt had referred to Puck as his husband.

  
 **Kurt**

  
Kurt took deep, steadying breathes as he washed up the dishes from dinner. Puck had gone out to lock the animals up in the barn for the night and Kurt needed to get himself under control before Puck came back. 

So what if he was getting married tomorrow? He’d always known he would get married someday, longed for it even. He’d spent whole afternoons as a little kid planning out his wedding down to the smallest detail.

But there was a big difference between thinking about walking down the aisle towards a faceless man and knowing that Puck was going to be the one waiting for Kurt at the alter. There was a big difference between wishing there was someone to hold him during cold nights and knowing there were so many other things two people could do to keep warm on cold nights.

And that was the heart of Kurt’s nervousness, wasn’t it? He surprisingly wasn’t all that worried about the actual wedding. Kurt knew that he didn’t love Puck, but he liked him well enough. Puck was a little crude and a lot lustful, but he was a good man. He would be a good husband and, Kurt expected, a great father. So, no, Kurt didn’t have any problems marrying Puck. He was just a little apprehensive about the things that happened after the wedding.

Like the _fornication_.

With Puck.

Who clearly knew his way around the bedroom, unlike Kurt who knew only what his father had told him and knowing Burt Hummel that was probably only the bare minimum. Not only did Kurt know very little, but he had absolutely no practical knowledge. 

What if Kurt wasn’t able to meet Puck’s needs? Would Puck be angry? Would he go back to whoever he’d been sleeping with before?

These were the thoughts that had Kurt so on edge the night before his wedding; which was ridiculous because there were so many other things Kurt should be worrying about tonight. For starters, he needed to find which suitcase he had put his wedding dress into and air it out; make sure there weren’t any wrinkles. 

By the time Puck came back from the barn, Kurt was elbow deep in his fourth suitcase and cursing himself for not being more organized in his packing. 

“What are you looking for?”

“I’m trying to find my wedding dress for tomorrow. I know I brought it; I just can’t seem to...Aha!  Here it is.”

Kurt pulled the plain white dress out of the suitcase and carried it over to the table. It had survived the long journey quite well, without any visible wrinkles. 

“That’s it?” Puck asked.

“Yes, it’s a little unorthodox for you to see it before the wedding. I’ll have to put it on tomorrow while your hitching Flame up so we don’t get any bad luck from you actually seeing me wearing it. My coat should cover it all up.”

“It’s a little more old-fashioned then most of the clothes you have.”

“It was my mother’s. It’s one of the few things of hers that Father kept after she died. I’ve never considered wearing anything else for my wedding.”

“I’m sure you’ll look beautiful in it, you always look beautiful.”

Kurt could feel himself blushing. “I thought we agreed that you were going to stop this sort of behavior?”

“I’m just stating a fact. Though I don’t see what harm it would be for us to-,”

“Don’t start Puck. You promised me you would wait until after the wedding,” Kurt said firmly.

“All right, all right, I guess I’ll just head up to bed then. But answer me a question first, why is it so important to you? It’s not like anyone would know.”

“But I would know Puck and I would know that it wasn’t what my father would want for me and I know it wouldn’t feel right,” Kurt explained.

“Well, then I guess another day won’t kill me. May I ask for one more kiss to get me though the night?”

Kurt blushed again but he walked around the table, stood on tiptoe and pressed his mouth against Puck. Puck wrapped one hand around the base of Kurt’s head, but otherwise he didn’t try anything untoward. As Puck walked up the loft’s steps Kurt realized he was breathing easy again.  Puck knew Kurt wasn’t a good kisser, but he kept coming back for more anyways. Hopefully, that would mean he would be patient with Kurt in more amorous activities.


	3. Chapter 3

**Puck**

One of the things, actually the only thing, Puck missed about living in the city was the ability to sleep late.  When he had been expected to stay out at fancy parties until the wee hours of the morning, no one thought twice about him sleeping in until noon or later the next day.

But ever since he’d started farming he’d often had to get up before the sun had fully risen. Even three years after leaving the city Puck still often had trouble getting up that early. He was groggy and a little irritable until he got a fair amount of coffee in his bloodstream. Not today though.  When Puck woke on the morning of his wedding to Kurt he was immediately bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

Kurt was still sound asleep, so Puck started the coffee brewing before going out to feed the animals. They seemed to have picked up on his excitement as they were far more spirited than usual. The mare, or rather Flame, especially seemed to know that she had an important role to play today and neighed loudly in complaint when Puck went back into the house for breakfast instead of hitching her up to the buggy.

Kurt had a pan of bacon frying over the fire by the time Puck got back and he couldn’t tell which was making him drool more, the delicious aroma or the sight of Kurt bending over the fire.  God, Puck wasn’t sure if he could make it until tonight. It seemed like he’d had a permanent erection ever since he’d seen Kurt standing at the train station surrounded by his mountain of suitcases and the only way to get relief would be to spread Kurt out on the bed and make his sweet little body shake with pleasure. 

 _No_ , Puck thought, reining himself in hurriedly, the last thing he needed was for Kurt to freak out right before the wedding and the quickest way for that to happen would be for him to notice just how aroused Puck was. Puck just barely managed to get himself under control before Kurt turned around and saw him. 

“Oh good you’re back. Hurry and eat some breakfast. You really shouldn’t have let me sleep in, we’re going to be late,” Kurt said.

“Well, it’s not like they can start without us,” Puck pointed out.

“Puck, do have any idea how bad it would look for us to be late for our own wedding? Never mind, I can see by your face that you don’t. Just eat as quickly as you can and then go get Flame hitched to the buggy so I can change.”

“What, you’re not going to tell me the shirt I’m wearing isn’t fit to be seen in public and I need to find something more suitable?” Puck joked.

“Puck, I’ve already combed through all of your clothes. Nothing you own is fit to be seen in public,” Kurt said straight faced. “I’m marrying a man who wears nothing but plaid flannel. I just have to accept that and move on. Now eat.”

As Kurt hastened up to the loft to get more bacon Puck muttered under his breath, “I like flannel, it’s warm…and comfy.”

If Puck didn’t know it was just Kurt being particular about arriving late, he would have thought Kurt was really, _really_ eager to get married since he all but pushed Puck out the door so he could get himself ready for his big day. It didn’t take Puck very long to get Flame hitched to the buggy, but he knew better than to try and go back in the house when Kurt had been so adamant about Puck not seeing him in his wedding dress.  So instead, Puck had to stay out in the cold, stamping his feet to try and stay warm. 

Finally, Kurt came outside, his wedding dress safely hidden under his coat, and let Puck lift him up into the buggy seat.  They didn’t talk much as they headed into town. Kurt was clearly on edge and anything he said came out in this adorable little stammer that he tried to say was from the cold. Eventually, Puck took pity on him and stopped talking so the kid could compose himself.

Once they arrived at Oak Grove’s small church they were separated, Puck going with Thomas and Pastor Schuester and Kurt being led away by a cooing Widow Hudson. In the end, Puck didn’t really remember the wedding. He saw that the whole town was there and someone had decorated the place with flowers. Then music started and Kurt walked through the door and everything else faded into the background. 

Kurt’s dress might have looked plain and old-fashioned lying on the table last night, but with Kurt wearing the dress it somehow became the most breathtaking thing Puck had ever seen.  Somehow the plain white just seemed to emphasis the purity that Kurt embodied. 

It managed to short-circuit Puck’s brain and he went through the entire ceremony on autopilot.  He’s fairly certain he said the right words in the right places, but Thomas had to give him a sharp poke to get him to remember to put the ring on Kurt’s finger. Saying ‘I do’ and hearing Kurt say it back was like being engulfed in the sun it was so powerful. He was married to this gorgeous, wonderful dream; for better or worse, in sick and in health, forever.

Afterwards there was food and dancing and congratulations so that by the time they were able to start heading home the sun was already low in the sky. Kurt was quiet, but affectionate on the drive home. He wrapped both his hands around Puck’s bicep and laid his head on Puck’s shoulder.  

When they arrived back at the house, Puck helped Kurt out of the buggy and led Flame to the barn before hastening back to the house. He was more than a little disappointed to see that Kurt had started making dinner, meaning that Puck would have to wait at least another hour before taking Kurt to bed. 

The meal was amazing as always, pork roast with a peach cobbler for dessert. Kurt spent most of the meal talking about random things, clearly becoming more and more nervous as the night wore on. Once dinner was over, Kurt tried to start cleaning up the dishes, but Puck simply couldn’t take it any longer. He wrapped a hand around Kurt’s wrist and pulled him in tight, wrapping his free hand around Kurt’s waist.

“Leave the dishes for tonight,” Puck whispered against Kurt’s mouth. “Please Kurt, I can’t wait any longer. Please, let me touch you.”

“Yes, alright Puck, yes,” Kurt gasped.

Puck groaned with relief before kissing Kurt. He stuck his tongue out to lick suggestively at Kurt’s closed mouth. Kurt hesitated for a few minutes before shyly opening up to Puck’s caresses. Puck could feel Kurt start to rely more and more on Puck to hold him up as his legs started to give out. While Kurt was distracted by the kiss Puck began to untie the stays on the back of Kurt’s dress. 

After far longer than Puck would have liked he finally got the dress all the way unfastened and gently pushed it off Kurt’s shoulders and onto the floor. Kurt shivered, though from the sudden exposure to cold air or the feel of Puck’s fingers on his bare shoulder, Puck didn’t know. Puck start to remove Kurt’s petticoat, but that caused Kurt to pull back.

“Wait Puck, the light’s still burning.”

“You’re so beautiful Kurt. I want to be able to see you,” Puck whispered reassuringly. “Don’t you want to see me?”

Kurt wavered for a moment, clearly tempted by the idea, before he seemed to remember himself.

“Puck…no, I can’t. It would be far too embarrassing, not to mention improper. I just couldn’t, please Puck, turn the light out.”

Puck wanted to push the issue, but more than that, he wanted Kurt to be soft and pliant like he’d been a few minutes ago, instead of tense like he was now. So, Puck extinguished the lanterns and comforted himself that he could still faintly see Kurt from the burning fire. 

Puck removed the remainder of Kurt’s clothing before Kurt was able to object to anything else. Kurt primly hid himself behind his hands and Puck decided to allow the security blanket in favor of guiding Kurt down onto the bed. Puck couldn’t remove his own clothes fast enough as he hastened to be pressed skin to skin with Kurt. 

Finally, _finally,_ Puck was able to cover Kurt with his body, propping himself up on his elbows so that he didn’t crush Kurt with his weight. He could feel Kurt’s manhood start to harden and he ground his hips down in encouragement causing Kurt to cry out.

“Puck!  W-what?”

“Hush, hush now, my darling. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything,” Puck murmured in between the soft kisses he peppered around Kurt’s face and down his smooth, pale neck. “God Kurt, if you only knew the things I want to do to you…but for tonight, I think we’ll keep things simple.”

Puck then lent down to take Kurt’s right nipple into his mouth, sucking gently. Kurt made the most delightful whimpering noise before he pressed his hands over his mouth to stifle the noise.

“None of that now darling,” Puck said. “I want to hear every noise that luscious mouth of yours can make. In fact, I think I’d like to hear you whimper around these.” And Puck held two fingers up to Kurt’s mouth. Kurt didn’t seem to understand Puck’s suggestion, so Puck gently presses his fingers until Kurt opens and wraps those perfect, plump lips around the fingers and sucks hesitantly. 

“That’s it, baby. Get them nice and wet for me.” 

As Kurt ran his tongue over and around Puck’s fingers, Puck settled himself between soft, pale thighs. Even though he could only just make out the outline of that round bottom it still made his blood boil. Not able to wait any longer Puck removed his fingers from Kurt’s mouth he put his hand around Kurt’s cock, slicking his hand still more with the precum leaking from the tip. Kurt gasped and squirmed at the touch and when Puck finally, _finally_ stroked his fingers down to Kurt’s hidden flower and pushed one finger inside Kurt bowed his back and cried out in shock.

“That’s it, baby,” Puck said huskily.  “Do ya like that?”

Kurt didn’t seem able to respond, just panting harshly as Puck added a second finger.

“God, so tight beautiful, gonna make you come apart, just for me.”

Puck then removed his fingers and pressed his cock in slowly, mindful that he was the first man to enter there. Sure enough, he was less than halfway in before Kurt tensed around him. 

“Easy Kurt, I know it’s hard, but you have to relax.”

“Puck…Puck, I’m scared.”

“Oh baby,” Puck pressed his mouth to Kurt’s in a reassuring kiss. “I know, I know the first time can be scary, but you don’t have anything to worry about. I’m going to make you feel so good Kurt, like nothing you ever felt before.”

With slow, easy pushes Puck eased himself inside Kurt’s tight heat until Puck was fully seated inside. Puck saw stars at the feel of tight heat all around him and Puck knew he wasn’t going to last very long. He wrapped his hand around Kurt’s erection and began thrusting steadily, hoping to bring Kurt to completion before Puck was pushed over the edge. 

Kurt was gasping beneath Puck, “Puck, please, more, Puck!” until he tensed, back arched, mouth open in a silent scream and the evidence of his pleasure spurting across his chest. The sight alone was enough to send Puck hurtling to his own completion and he claimed Kurt’s mouth in a final kiss as he spent himself in Kurt’s ass.

Afterwards, he surrounded Kurt with his embrace, pressing soft kisses along Kurt’s neck and shoulder and as the two of them drifted off to sleep Puck realized that he had never felt more complete.

**Kurt**

When Kurt woke up it was to the knowledge that he was warmer then he’d been since coming to the snowy north. For those few minutes while Kurt hovered between sleep and being fully awake he was able to enjoy the heat. Then he tried to settle deeper into the warmth and realized that he was not in fact cuddling deeper into the blankets like he’d expected, but rather into a hard, muscled chest.

Puck’s hard, muscled chest.

And as quick as that Kurt was thrust back into the real world. A small part of him wished he could have stayed in that half dream world that he’d been in earlier where he’d been able to enjoy Puck’s touch. Now Kurt was aware of their naked flesh pressed as close as possible with Puck’s hand spread across Kurt’s chest and his leg over Kurt’s hip. Kurt could feel the remnants of Puck’s pleasure from last night leaking from his entrance. Kurt couldn’t believe he’d allowed himself to fall asleep in such a condition.

He tried to leave the bed without waking Puck so he wouldn’t be seen so messy, but to no avail. The second he tried to slide out from under Puck’s arm Puck tightened his hold and whispered “Good morning,” in Kurt’s ear, voice gruff with sleep. 

“G-good morning,” Kurt replied, face aflame with mortification when Puck started stroking his hand across Kurt’s hip and down towards his…

“What are you doing!?” Kurt yelped, almost falling out of the bed in his haste to get away.

“I just wanted to show you what a good morning it could be,” Puck said as he leaned towards Kurt with that damnable smirk on his face.

“But it is daylight,” Kurt said in confusion. “Surely you don’t mean to instigate such, such things at this time.  It is most unfair of you to tease me in such a fashion when you know perfectly well it would be wrong to laze about in bed when there is work to be done.”

Puck sighed, looking a tad irritable, but he did pull away from Kurt, muttering under his breath.  Kurt gaped as Puck failed to show the smallest hint of modesty when he got out of bed. He stood and stretched with all his manly glory on blatant display. 

When Kurt realized he was staring he quickly averted his gaze, face flushed with embarrassment.  He waited until Puck was dressed and out the door (which he refused to do before ravishing Kurt’s mouth) before getting out of bed himself. He winced at the unfamiliar ache in his hips and wondered if were possible to get anymore red when he felt what could only be Puck’s ejaculation trickle down the inside of his thigh. 

Kurt used a dishrag to clean himself as best he could before dressing himself. He’d just finished making breakfast when Puck came back inside, not even bothering to take his shoes off before coming to kiss Kurt again. The man was insatiable and Kurt was starting to get a little annoyed with his behavior. 

He was about to say something about this when Puck said, “Wish I could stay darling, but the wind took out a section of the pasture fence and I need to get it back up right away. So, I’ll just pack up this food and see you for dinner.”

“Oh,” Kurt said, feeling a little disappointed that Puck was going to be gone all day.

“But I just want you to know that you were amazing last night. Seriously, I expected you to be all prim and proper, but after the lights went out you were just so _eager_. I can’t wait to see it again when I finish with the fence.” And with that Puck pulled Kurt in for another kiss while groping his bottom before heading back outside.

Kurt stood in shock for he didn’t know how long. He’d been so caught up in Puck’s inappropriate behavior that he had forgotten all about himself. But Puck was right; Kurt had been eager, heck he’d begged. Puck’s lewdness had clearly started to rub off because Kurt had enjoyed last night far too much. He had begged for more from Puck like some back alley harlot.

Kurt shuddered to think what his teachers back at St. Timothy’s would say if they knew of his behavior.  And what would his father have thought? Kurt couldn’t believe he had been reduced to this when he had always been the most proper of all his friends back east. There was just something about Puck that made Kurt forget himself; that made him want to lose himself in these erotic new feelings Puck was introducing himself too. 

Kurt could remember a time when he had made pitying comments with his companions about those who indulged in such baser instincts and now Kurt was shocked to realize that he was also one of those people. Kurt had always assumed that the so-called pleasures of the night would be tasteless and embarrassing and while last night had been embarrassing it had not in any way been tasteless or unpleasant. In fact Kurt found that, like Puck, he was rather looking forward to letting Puck take him back to bed tonight as well. 

Before he could stop himself Kurt remembered that Puck had wanted to keep last night simple.  God, if that was simple, what else might there be in Puck’s repertory of bedroom activities?  Kurt was ashamed to realize that he wanted to find out.

**Puck**

Puck was having a serious problem making headway on the damaged fence.  He would be working along steadily enough, but sooner or later his mind would drift back into daydreams about last night. The next thing he knew he’d dropped the hammer onto his foot because his hands had gone slack from images of Kurt’s perfect body racing through his mind. Pain aside, he needed to get his act together if he had any hope of finishing this fence before nightfall. 

Slowly, but surely, Puck managed to repair the fence. It wasn’t the best job since the ground was frozen too solid for Puck to dig new holes for the posts, but at least the animals wouldn’t be able to simply walk out anymore. Once spring came and the ground softened he would be able to do a more permanent job. 

Pleased with the completion of a hard day’s work Puck headed back to the house. Normally he’s energy would have been completely drained from so much exertion, but knowing that Kurt was waiting for him was enough to put a spring in his step. 

He stopped off at the barn to drop off his tools and while he was in there he went ahead and feed the animals. It was earlier than he usually fed them, but he knew he wouldn’t want to have to leave Kurt’s side later. He gave them an extra serving of grain as apology for making them stay inside all day and headed into the house.

As soon as Puck entered the house he knew something was wrong. Kurt was huddled on one of the chairs, the picture of abject misery. His arms were wrapped around himself, his eyes were rimmed in red and it looked like he’d never even gotten around to brushing his hair this morning.

Puck took a moment to feel regret over the loss of the cozy, relaxed evening he’d had planned as he all but ran to Kurt’s side without even stopping to take his boats off. Once he made it across the room however, all thoughts of himself were brushed aside to make room for his concern for Kurt.

“Kurt, are you all right?” This was apparently a stupid question since the next second Kurt just looked up at Puck for a few seconds with tear filled eyes before the tears spilled over and began falling down his cheeks in earnest. 

“Oh, Kurt!” Puck cried out in alarm, sweeping the carrier up into his arms, “What’s wrong? Are you hurt, did something happen? Just tell me and I swear I’ll make it better.”

Kurt didn’t seem to be able to answer, just buried his face in Puck’s neck and continued crying. 

“Kurt, please your scaring me,” Then Puck had a disconcerting thought. “It isn’t me is it, something I did? Kurt, look at me,” Puck forced Kurt to look up at him. “Kurt, did I hurt you last night?”

Puck was relieved to see Kurt shake his head, but he still seemed too distraught to say anything.  Unsure what to do in this situation Puck settled for holding Kurt even tighter, rocking him until he calmed down. 

“I’m s-sorry, Puck.”

“What on earth do you have to be sorry for?”  Puck was confused, when he left this morning it had seemed like everything was so perfect. How could things have gone so wrong so quickly?

“I’ve just been such a mess all day,” Kurt sniffled, “I haven’t been able to get anything done.  After what you said when you left…it just made me so upset.”

“What?  But all I said when I left was that I was sorry I had to be gone and that I couldn’t wait to get back to you.” Clearly, Puck was missing something because Kurt’s explanations were only serving to make him even more confused. 

“Yes, but you also said how I was,” here Kurt’s voice dropped to a whisper, “was so eager. I have never felt so ashamed of myself. I don’t know what possessed me last night, but I swear to you, I have never before behaved in such a wanton manner.”

Kurt wasn’t blushing at all despite his blunt speech. In fact he had never looked paler, almost ill.  Puck felt horrible that he’d left Kurt to deal with this all day by himself, but he still wasn’t a hundred percent sure what exactly the problem even was. 

Puck had thought that Kurt was crying because he’d been hurt or hadn’t enjoyed Puck’s attentions last night. But Kurt made it sound like he was upset for the exact opposite reason, because he had enjoyed it. Puck knew he wasn’t always the smartest guy in the world, but that didn’t make any sense.

Puck figured he hadn’t been able to understand some subtle part of Kurt’s speech that Kurt had felt was too inappropriate to say plainly. Puck didn’t want Kurt to realize that his husband wasn’t smart enough to figure out something that was probably very simple, but he also didn’t want Kurt to stay so distressed.

Slowly, Puck led Kurt over to the bed hoping that a good night’s rest would solve things. The poor kid had been through a lot over the past week. It was more than enough to stress anybody out. Puck was thinking himself quite clever for figuring this out when Kurt caught sight of the bed and began struggling to get away from Puck’s arms. 

“No, please! I can’t go back there. I will lose control of myself again,” Kurt cried as he fought even harder to get away.

“Whoa, easy there,” Puck said, tightening his hold before Kurt managed to hurt himself. At this point, the guy seemed to be bordering on hysteria. “Kurt, you aren’t making any sense right now.”

Kurt seemed to deflate in his arms. “You’re right, I’m sorry,” Kurt whispered. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he started repeating over and over like a mantra. Finally, Puck had to kiss him to make him stop. Kurt didn’t respond at first, but eventually his mouth softened under Puck’s. When Puck pulled away Kurt was looking up at him with sad eyes. 

“Kurt, I can’t help you if I don’t understand what’s wrong,” Puck started. “If you would just tell me what’s bothering you then I’m sure we could work it out.”

Kurt looked confused for a few seconds before saying, “But I did tell you Puck. I’m upset about last night. I cannot believe I allowed myself to behave in such a manner. I don’t even want to think about what my teachers back at St. Timothy’s would say if they knew.”

Puck blinked. So Kurt was upset because of last night, because he liked it, but even though Puck was now clear on the facts it still didn’t make any sense.

“Let me see if I have this straight,” Puck began. “You’re upset and from what I can tell, have been crying all day, because you enjoyed our fornication?”

“Yes.”

Puck looked up at the ceiling and prayed to God to give him strength. This was one of the reasons he’d moved to Minnesota. He’d never been able to understand the logic of upper class people.

“Alright,” Puck said finally. “We’re going to have to sit down and calmly talk this out until we can get this whole mess cleared up. We’re just going to sit right over here on the edge of the bed and you can explain to me all these problems you think you’re having.”

Kurt seemed unsure about this idea, but he went along with Puck, sitting stiffly next to him on the bed. Puck wrapped his arm around Kurt’s shoulders to keep him grounded and started trying to clear things up.

“Alright, just so I’m absolutely clear, I didn’t hurt you last night, did I?”

“No, Puck,” Kurt said blushing and bringing some color back into his pale cheeks. “I confess, I felt a little sore this morning, but it was nothing too severe.”

“Good, I’m glad you’re alright, but it you’re not hurting I don’t see what else could have made you so upset.”

Kurt frowned, “You aren’t listening to me.  I said-,”

“I heard what you said, but I don’t understand what you’re telling me. Why would you be upset simply because you enjoyed my attentions? I would have been upset if you hadn’t enjoyed it.” 

Kurt gaped, “You think I _should_ have enjoyed it? How can you say that? Everything I’ve ever been told about fornication is that it is only appealing to those with baser instincts; that is why it is the pleasure of men, not women and intersexes. That I did find it appealing…I am horrified to think what it says about my character that I not only enjoyed last night, but am ashamed to admit I look forward to joining with you again.” 

Kurt had started his speech angry and forceful, but at the end his voice had become weaker and weaker until Puck could barely hear him. 

“Oh, Kurt,” Puck sighed, stroking Kurt’s hair comfortingly. “Who told you these things?  This is nonsense that only I should get pleasure from our joining. Do you honestly think I would have found an act that hurt you enjoyable?”

“Karofsky would have,” Kurt said softly.

Puck stared in horror, wondering if it would be worth the trouble to get a train ticket, travel all the way back east and beat the living daylights out of this Karofsky bloke. It wouldn’t remove the memories Kurt had of the jerk, but it would make Puck feel better. First though, he needed to get Kurt over this sex hang-up he seemed to have. 

“Let’s back up,” Puck said, “First of all, Karofsky is out of your life now and he’s never going to hurt you. Second of all, there is absolutely no reason why you should be ashamed to want to receive the pleasure I can give you.”

“But-,”

“No, just listen to me,” Puck shushed holding a finger to Kurt’s lips. “I can see that you’re feelings from last night have upset you greatly and I honestly don’t want that. If you think intercourse between will continue to upset you, perhaps we ought to stop for a while.”

**Kurt**

It took Kurt a moment to fully comprehend what Puck was saying. Even having only known Puck for a short while, Kurt could tell that his husband was a man who often indulged in physical pleasures. Yet here he was denying himself what was technically part of his marriage rights and all because he didn’t want Kurt to be unhappy. Kurt couldn’t begin to wrap his mind around what a sacrifice this was for Puck. 

At first, Kurt felt so grateful to Puck that this weight had been lifted off his shoulders that he had to lean into Puck’s warmth, his relief was so great. As he sat there though, with Puck’s strong arms around him and the sound of Puck’s heart beating beneath that muscled chest, Kurt realized that without the problem of enjoying Puck’s attentions to worry about, he had a whole different problem to deal with.  

While Kurt was extremely upset because of his actions the previous night, it didn’t change the fact that he had enjoyed it. Now that he’d had a taste of the pleasure Puck could give him, Kurt wasn’t sure he really wanted to let that go. Puck made him feel things he’d never imagined were possible. Maybe he was giving into the physical lust his teachers had warned him against, but hadn’t they also said that his first duty was to his husband?

Surely, Kurt needed to set aside his problems to make certain that all of Puck’s needs were met.  If it meant that Kurt continued to feel Puck’s sweat-slicked skin against his own, to hear Puck say sex-roughed words in his ear, to watch Puck lose himself in Kurt’s body…well that would just be an added incentive. 

“Puck, I would never think to deny you what is your right,” Kurt said, looking up at Puck as sweetly as he knew how. “It would be so much worse for me to allow your need to be put aside just because I am having trouble adjusting and accepting my feelings.”

  1. Puck squeezed Kurt tighter to his chest. “I really wish you’d stop talking like that. I’m sure you were taught at that fancy school of yours that you had to always put your husband first or whatever, but I don’t work that way. If you’re unhappy or uncomfortable about something I want to know about it so I can fix it; so we can fix it together.”     



“That’s very thoughtful and sweet of you Puck, but I don’t think-,”

“No, listen to me. I wasn’t joking around when I said I wanted to have a family with you. I want our kids to be able to have parents who care, or at the very least respect each other. The only way for us to be able to have that is to start now. If you need me to refrain from having sex with you right now, than that’s something I’m willing to do.”

Frustrated that this conversation wasn’t going the way he wanted, Kurt pushed himself away from Puck and stood up from the bed. “I can’t just stand back and watch you put on this persona of the perfect husband during the day and then go to some prostitute at night,” Kurt cried.

“Where the hell did that come from?” asked Puck, also standing up from the bed. “I know we had some misunderstandings in the past about this, but I thought we’d worked all that out.”

“Oh, so I’m supposed to believe that you’re willing to lead a strictly celibate lifestyle?”

“Well, I was hoping we could work through your issues eventually. Until then I’m willing to wait until you’re ready for me to instigate more physical relations between the two of us.”

“What if I want you to do that for me now!?” Kurt cried before he realized what he had said and clapped a hand over his mouth. Kurt stared at Puck in horror, wishing there was a chance Puck hadn’t heard his slip, but one look at Puck’s shocked face told Kurt that there was no chance of this.

“I didn’t mean…just…I…that isn’t what I meant to say,” Kurt stammered, trying to regain his footing.

“Oh, I think you did,” Puck said, voice dark and dangerous. “You want to know what else I think, beautiful?” Puck was moving closer to Kurt now, pushing him back against the bed. 

“W-what?” asked Kurt, trying not to be distracted by Puck’s utterly distracting presence.

“I think you just want to hide behind your prim and proper image and pretend you don’t love what I do to you. But you do love it, don’t you?”

“I…I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kurt stated as firmly as he could, all the while avoiding Puck’s eyes.

“Now darling, don’t you know it’s a sin to lie?” Puck purred, running one finger gently up and down the side of Kurt’s neck. “Come on now, tell me the truth. You want to deny it, but you know you can’t. You love how I make you feel, feelings you didn’t even know were possible and you can’t wait for another taste. You’re just too proper to ask for it out loud. Do I have that about right, babe?”

“Puck,” Kurt moaned, trembling with the need to be closer to Puck, while at the same time trying to hold himself back.

“Come on, Kurt,” Puck whispered in Kurt’s ear. “I know you want it, you just have to ask and I’d give you anything.”

“I can’t.”

“Sure you can. It’s so easy, just a couple little words and I’ll make you feel so good. You know I can.”

Kurt couldn’t hold himself back any longer. He’s teachers might have condemned his behavior, but they were hundreds’ of miles away. Kurt didn’t think there was any chance of them finding out about his transgression and he really wanted Puck to touch him again. Kurt could feel his face flushing already from what he was planning on doing and he buried his face into Puck’s shoulder and breathed in the smell of him for extra courage.

“Puck,” Kurt said, so soft he wasn’t sure Puck would be able to hear him. “Please, I want, want you to touch me, _hold me_.”

Kurt peeked up at Puck then and his breath caught at the sight on Puck’s face. His mouth was opened slightly and he was breathing heavily, but it was the eyes that grabbed Kurt’s attention.  The pupils had expanded until it looked like they were all that was there. It made Puck look…hungry and Kurt shivered when he thought about what Puck was hungry for. 

Puck was moving his hands up and down Kurt’s back and it felt so good that it took Kurt a minute to realize that Puck was loosening the stays on his dress. Kurt hesitated for a moment before sliding his on hand up Puck’s chest and fingering one of the buttons on his shirts. Kurt chanced a look a Puck’s face to gauge his reaction and, when Kurt saw the warm smile directed at him, Kurt drew himself up and began unbuttoning Puck’s shirt and sliding it off his shoulders. 

Kurt hadn’t really been able to see Puck last night and he spent a long while running his hands over Pucks chest and arms. The skin was much darker than Kurt’s and Puck seemed to have muscles everywhere. It was then that Kurt felt soft cotton fall down his back and around his feet and realized that if he could see Puck then Puck could also see him.

Kurt started to move away, but Puck caught him before he could get anywhere.

“Whoa there Kurt, you’re doing so good, let’s not take a step backwards.”

“But…you can see me.”

“Yeah, and you’re so beautiful I could look at you forever. Won’t you let me?”

Kurt hesitated.  He wasn’t sure he was comfortable standing naked in full view of Puck’s predatory gaze, but on the other hand, he really wanted to see if the bottom half of Puck’s body was just as muscular as the top half. After a long moment, Kurt bit his lip and moved back onto the bed. Then he reached out for Puck’s hand and pulled him down. 

Puck groaned as he settled his body above Kurt. “God Kurt, do you know what you do to me?”

“I think I’d rather see what you can do to me,” Kurt whispered, wondering if this was what perversion felt like. 

“I think I can managed that,” Puck smirked before pressing a bruising kiss to Kurt’s mouth. They continued like that a long time, exchanging kisses that would morph from hard and possessing to light and playful without and rhyme or reason. Puck was pretty much running the show by now and Kurt was reminded of how much more experience Puck had. 

Kurt could feel his manhood hardening, even as he felt Puck’s own press against his thigh. Puck suddenly stood up, growling as he struggled to get out of his pants. When he finally did get them off he stared down at Kurt, a clear challenge in his eyes. Kurt waited as long as he could stand before allowing his gaze to drop down to Puck’s erection. 

The softest of whimpers escaped when Kurt finally laid eyes on what had given him so much pleasure the previous evening. Puck’s erection was long and thick and rather dark in color. Kurt was rather glad he hadn’t been able to see it last night, otherwise he would never had believed it could fit inside of him. Now that he knew it could though…

Kurt lifted up his arms in appeal to Puck to come back to the bed. Instead Puck grasped one of them and pressed several, feather-light kisses to the knuckles and palm.

“How you holding up, Kurt? If we continue, do you promise not to freak out on me again in the morning?”

Kurt blushed at the reminder, but he gamely tugged on the hand holding his. “Yes, Puck, I promise.  Just please…come back to bed.”

Puck is all grace as he crawls back onto the bed, laying on his side behind Kurt and pulling him back to his chest. Kurt shivered as he felt Puck’s erection pressed against his bottom and moaned when Puck began kissing the back of his neck.

“Feels good-,” Kurt said as Puck pinched one of his nipples. 

“You’re so perfect, it’s like you were made to fit right into my arms,” Puck separated Kurt’s legs with one of his thighs and Kurt jerked impulsively when he felt a finger brush across his hole.  Kurt was lost in the feelings washing over him as Puck continued to prep him and finally press inside. Kurt couldn’t focus on anything but the feeling of the two of them rocking together faster and tighter until he couldn’t tell where he ended and Puck began. Until it became so intense everything exploded around him.

Kurt panted harshly was he came back down from wherever Puck had taken him. As he settled back against Puck, completely worn out, he thought briefly about his impropriety before pushing them away. He could deal with that later, right now he felt far too good to worry about anything.


	4. Chapter 4

**Puck**

When Puck woke up, it was to the feeling of Kurt, warm and perfect, in his arms. Kurt was still sound asleep and breathing deeply. Puck took the opportunity to really look at his beautiful husband without Kurt feeling self-conscious. 

The sun was just beginning to rise and the bright, early morning light landed on Kurt’s flawless, pale skin. His usually perfect hair was in complete disarray on the pillow and Puck wasn’t at all surprised to realize that he kind of preferred that look.

As Puck’s gaze drifted down his lover’s body he pulled the blankets out of the way. There were the adorable freckles on Kurt’s shoulders and there were the perfect dimples at the base of his back.

Puck was about to pull the blankets away from Kurt’s ass when Kurt stiffened, telling Puck that he’d woken up.

“Morning,” Puck said, pressing a kiss to Kurt’s temple, trying to gauge his reaction. Kurt just sighed and squirmed slightly in response, not a good sign. “How are you doing?” Puck asked in what he hoped was a comforting manner. He really didn’t think he could handle tears two days in a row. 

“I’m trying to remember that I promised that I wouldn’t freak out this morning. It’s proving rather difficult.”

Puck huffed, “Oh, honestly, this is getting ridiculous.” He grabbed Kurt around the waist and, ignoring his squawk of protest, pulled him up and around until Kurt was straddling Puck’s hips. 

“Puck!” Kurt cried, trying to pull away from Puck’s hold. “Puck, let go of me! This is so inappropriate!”

“Why?” Puck shot back, “Why is it inappropriate?”

That seemed to startle Kurt, at least enough for him to stop trying to pull away from Puck’s hold. 

“What kind of question is that? It just is.”

“But why? Because someone told you that’s the way it was supposed to be?”

“Well, yes, my teacher’s at St. Timothy’s always said-,”

“I don’t want to know what you teacher’s said; I want to know what you think. Would you rather be married with someone like Karofsky, who from what I’ve heard, would guarantee you wouldn’t enjoy sex with him?”

Kurt stared at Puck for a long moment before saying softly, “I can’t believe you would ask me that.”

“Alright the, let me put it this way; what would your father want? Do you think he would rather you be married to Karofsky, where you could have remained the ‘proper’ carrier or with me where you could be happy?”

Kurt seemed speechless at Puck’s words and after awhile settled himself down on top of Puck so they were lying chest to chest. Puck was startled by this sudden act of intimacy from Kurt, but felt like it was a step in the right direction so he decided to stay silent until Kurt felt ready to talk. 

Eventually, Kurt said, “You know, you aren’t at all what I expected to find when I decided to travel out here.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, I suppose it was stereotypical of me, but I was expecting a country bumpkin. Instead I found you and while you clearly don’t know how to include style in your wardrobe, you can be quite insightful when you want to be.”

“Well, aren’t you the flatterer?”

“Hush,” Kurt said, smacking Puck’s chest lightly. “I’m trying to make a point here. Maybe it’s not what everyone wanted or expected of me, but the only one whose opinion really matters to me is my father’s and you’re right, he would have wanted me to be happy no matter what the circumstances were. And despite our differences, Puck, you really do make me happy.”

Kurt said that last part so softly that Puck almost didn’t hear him, but the words warmed him so that he had to squeeze Kurt closer and plant a kiss on his sweet, perfect mouth. For the first time Kurt didn’t hesitate, but instead opened his mouth almost instantly and let Puck deepen the kiss without complaint. 

Encouraged, Puck started to drift one of his hands down Kurt’s back toward that luscious bottom.  He’d almost made it when Kurt pulled back with a little laugh.

“Surely you aren’t serious? Your lust was quenched not 10 hours ago; you cannot wish to go again all ready?”

“Baby,” Puck growled. “I don’t think my lust for you could ever be quenched.  I’m always going to want more.” He tried to capture Kurt’s mouth in another kiss, but Kurt pulled further away. 

“Flame will be most displeased if you are late bringing her breakfast.”

Puck let his head fall back on the pillow with a sigh. Kurt was right of course. If Puck could have his way he would spend the rest of his life lying naked in bed with Kurt, but that would be unfair to the animals, unless…

“Hey,” he said, suddenly have an idea. “Will you wait for me?”

“Wait for you?” Kurt asked, clearly confused by Puck’s request.

“Yeah,” Puck said, getting excited now. “I don’t have any extra chores that need to be done today, just feed the animals and let them out of the barn. It shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes. You could just wait here in bed and warm me up when I get back,” Puck finished with a leer.

“You want me to lie in bed and wait to attend to you,” Kurt said with a mix of interest and scandalized inquiry. “Don’t you want me to make breakfast? Surely you’re hungry?”

Kurt squeaked and flushed prettily, but he said softly, “Alright, if you like, I’ll wait for you.”

Puck beamed up at his sweet, wonderful, perfect carrier and pressed a sloppy kiss to Kurt’s mouth before slipping out from under him. Puck didn’t think he’d ever gotten dressed and finished his chores so quickly. He almost broke his neck tripping over the pitchfork in his haste to get back in bed with Kurt.

Mostly he wanted to get back so he could make Kurt all hot and sweaty in the light of day, but if he was honest with himself, there was another reason. The last time he’d left Kurt alone, he’d come back to find his husband in tears. Kurt had looked so content, snuggled up and blushing, under the blankets and Puck didn’t want Kurt to revert back to his previous mindset and start crying again.

Finally, Puck made it back into the house and was relieved to see Kurt was still in bed. Kurt looked so perfect lying there, that Puck had to stop in the middle of taking off his clothes just so he could drink in the sight of the husband. However, Kurt didn’t seem to respond to well to Puck’s scrutiny and after a short time of watching Puck watch him, Kurt began squirming.

“Are you going to just stand there? It hardly seems fair that I remain the only one naked in this scenario,” Kurt huffed.

Puck grinned down at Kurt, “Your wish is my command lovely,” Puck said, falling on top of Kurt, being careful to catch himself so he didn’t squash Kurt too badly. Kurt got a single giggle out before Puck leant in for a kiss and swallowed the rest of Kurt’s laughter.

***~***~***

Puck didn’t realize it was possible for a man to be as happy as he was for the next several weeks.  In just a couple months, Kurt managed to work himself into Puck’s life, so much so that Puck could barely remember what his life was like before Kurt came along. He no longer got cold during those long winter nights because he always fell asleep with Kurt’s warm body pressed against him, wrapped up in his arms.

Puck no longer had to suffer through his own cooking. Kurt was truly a genius in the kitchen to be able to make such delicious creations. And Puck didn’t have to deal with unfulfilling feeling that masturbation always gave him. As time passed, Kurt became more and more relaxed when it came to sex. He usually still made a half-hearted protest at first, but soon Kurt would be begging for more.

Lately, there had even been a couple of times when Kurt had been the one to initiate their joining. Puck wasn’t sure what it was exactly that caused Kurt to forget his usually prim demeanor. He just knew that once in a while he would look up from something he was working on to see Kurt looking at him with lust blown eyes and the next thing Puck knew he would have a lapful of eager and horny husband.

But by far the best thing about Kurt was simply him being there. Kurt could fill up all the empty space with his chatter and even when he was quiet he still staved off Puck’s old loneliness. Puck could spend hours watching Kurt just bustle around the house. During the winter, while they were pretty much snowbound, Puck was able to spend nearly all day inside with Kurt. As the snow began to melt and Puck had to spend more and more time outside prepping the ground for this year’s planting he had worried that Kurt would become annoyed being alone in the house all the time. But Kurt had continued to surprise him, often following Puck out to the fields with that day’s lunch, packed up in a basket.

He would go out to the barn to socialize with Flame while the oxen were out working the fields.  Puck nearly had a heart attack the first time he came back to the house at the end of the day to realize Kurt was nowhere to be found. Puck had worked himself up into a panic that Kurt had decided to go back east when he spotted Kurt coming from the river with a basket of clothes in his arms. 

Puck never said out loud how scared he’d gotten, simply because Kurt had decided to do some laundry. However, that night he felt the need to prove to himself that Kurt hadn’t left and had brought the two of them to completion again and again so that by the time he was satisfied, Kurt was practically sobbing he’d become so sensitive.

Puck didn’t want to think about what it meant for him to be so upset about the thought of Kurt leaving, but the fact remained that he had been. When Puck had first met Kurt, he’d been attracted to him sure, but it had all been physical. Now, it seemed deeper somehow. Puck didn’t want to put a label on how he was feeling, but sometimes when he was just holding Kurt in his arms late at night it felt a lot like love. That thought scared the shit out of him so he pushed it aside whenever it came to the surface. Before Puck knew it, he was avoiding any situation with Kurt that would cause those feelings to occur.

**Kurt**

Kurt was starting to get a little worried. For a long time after he and Puck had gotten married everything had seemed so perfect.

Too perfect.

Kurt should have known that things couldn’t have remained so wonderful for long. Sure enough, just 2 months of married life and things were already starting to fall apart. Kurt couldn’t put his finger on what exactly was wrong, but it seemed like Puck was becoming more and more distant. 

Right after they got married it had seemed like Puck would go out of his way to touch and kiss Kurt throughout the day for no apparent reason, other than to be close to Kurt. But lately it seemed like Puck only touched Kurt during sex. Kurt couldn’t even count on Puck to hold him during post-coitus like he used to. Last night, Puck had actually gone so far as to turn his back on Kurt when he had finished.

He was sure that this probably made him one of those needy carriers, but he couldn’t change the way he felt. He missed the closeness that he and Puck had shared at the beginning of their marriage and he couldn’t figure out why things had changed so drastically. 

He had pondered the problem for several days now and the only explanation he could come up with was that Puck was becoming bored with him. When Kurt had come to that conclusion it almost made him want to cry. How ironic was it that when Kurt was hesitant about nighttime activities, Puck couldn’t seem to get enough of his husband, but now that Kurt was becoming more comfortable with his body, Puck was no longer interested in touching him. 

This situation was frustrating Kurt to no end, mainly because he didn’t know how to fix it. He’d been told many times of men that lost interest in their carriers after years of marriage when the carrier was no longer youthful and beautiful, but Kurt knew he hadn’t suddenly developed wrinkles after just two months.

The only bright side to this problem was that it happened out here. Kurt didn’t have to worry about Puck sleeping with other people. It wasn’t like he could stop off at a brothel on the way back from the fields. Kurt wasn’t stupid; he knew that Puck had indulged in such things in the past. Kurt also knew that there were no brothels near enough for Puck to go to without Kurt knowing, so that was one thing that Kurt didn’t have to worry about. 

Kurt honestly didn’t think he could handle Puck cheating on him. The very idea both devastated and infuriated him. Kurt had needed to make himself a cup of tea to calm his nerves after thinking about this whole unsettling ordeal. He was on his third cup when Puck came crashing in through the door. 

Kurt hadn’t seen Puck mad since their first fight, but something was clearly bothering him now. 

“What’s wrong?” Kurt asked as Puck started to jerk off his boots.

“That damn, piece of shit plow busted on me,” Puck scowled. “I’m going to have to drive all the way into Clarksville tomorrow to get a new one. I can’t wait for one to be ordered and sent out here, I need to get all the seeding done by the end of the month.” Puck sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Sorry for swearing, I know you don’t like that. It’s my own fault anyway.  That plow was so old, I’ve been meaning to replace it for ages, but never got around to it.” 

Puck seemed to have gotten over his anger pretty quickly, but Kurt’s heart was plummeting.  Clarksville was pretty far away. No matter how early Puck left in the morning he would have to spend the night in Clarksville. That was a pretty big town, there was bound to be at least one or two establishments of ill repute. Kurt didn’t see how there was any way of keeping Puck away from such a place while he was gone, unless…

“Take me with you,” Kurt blurted out before he really had time to think the idea through. Puck looked over at him with a raised eyebrow. 

“You _want_ to travel all the way into Clarksville? It’s really not that interesting and the long drive gets really boring.  If there’s something you need, just tell me and I’ll pick it up for you.”

“No, I have to go!” Kurt cried, trying to think of a plausible reason why he needed to go to Clarksville that didn’t involve making sure his husband didn’t invite some floozy into his bed. “I need to get some flowers!”

“Flowers?”

“Yes,” Kurt replied, grasping onto the idea. “I think we need to get some flowers to brighten the front yard area and I highly doubt you would know what I was talking about if I told you to get a certain breed and you would probably pick out the wrong types and I simply can’t leave this kind of thing to chance. So I need to go to Clarksville with you. That’s the only way I’ll know for sure that the right flowers have been selected,” Kurt finished, wondering if that had sounded as lame to Puck as it did to him.

Puck just stared at him for a few seconds before saying, “Alright then, I had no idea you took flowers so seriously.”

“Well, of course I do,” Kurt sniffed, relieved that Puck had bought his reasoning. “The composition of the lawn provides visitors with the first perspective of a household’s dynamic.  But I wouldn’t expect a Neanderthal like you to know something like that.”

Puck chuckled and for one glorious moment Kurt thought Puck was going to pull him in for a kiss, but then Puck stopped laughing, his face closed off and he turned to go wash the dirt from his arms without saying a word, leaving Kurt alone. 

That night after they’d gotten into bed Puck rolled Kurt over onto his hands and knees and took him that way. Puck put both his hands around Kurt’s hips and didn’t once move his hands through Kurt’s hair or kiss the back of Kurt’s neck like he had in the past when they’d used this position. Afterwards, Kurt couldn’t help feeling like he’d been left unfulfilled, even if there was a damp spot on the sheets that said otherwise.

They got up insanely early the next morning before the sun had risen. As they headed out Kurt reveled in the feeling of being so close to Puck in a non-sexual situation again. He felt so warm and comfortable that he soon fell asleep against Puck’s shoulder and when he opened his eyes again the sun was up and Puck was pulling up next to a creek to give the oxen a chance to drink.

Kurt stretched and turned to wish his husband good morning and maybe lean in for a kiss, only to find that Puck had already gotten out of the wagon and was fiddling with part of the harness. 

Kurt huffed. This was more serious then he originally thought. It was like Puck was deliberately trying to avoid him. Well, if he thought Kurt was just going to accept that lying down then he had another thing coming.

As soon as Puck climbed back into the wagon Kurt moved over so that he was as close as possible to Puck’s side and began talking about anything that came into his mind. Puck didn’t really say anything, but then he’d never been much of a conversationalist so Kurt wasn’t too worried about that. As long as Puck was listening that was all Kurt needed for now, he could increase his attack when they got to Clarksville.

Kurt let his mouth run on automatic while he worked out the details of his plan. He would need to stay by Puck’s side the whole time. He just hoped Puck wouldn’t become suspicious. Puck hadn’t actually done anything wrong and Kurt would hate to have to say he suspected Puck to be inclined to adultery because he wouldn’t touch Kurt anymore.

Kurt was starting to get a headache trying to get this all figured out. He would just have to deal with those problems when he came to them. 

They arrived in Clarksville in the early afternoon and Kurt was relieved to have an excuse to stop talking. As they drove down Main Street Kurt was surprised to realize that he hadn’t missed the crowds and noise of the cities as much as he thought he had. There was something cozy and intimate about their little house in the Northwood and Kurt had fallen in love with it without even realizing it.

As he and Puck headed into the general store, Kurt wrapped a hand in the crook of Puck’s arm, more determined than ever to get their marriage back on track. 

Nothing eventful happened as they did the shopping, but after they had packed all of their purchases up in the wagon and headed toward the hotel was when trouble started.

Trouble in the form of a tiny redhead, with far too much makeup to be tasteful and breasts threatening to spill out of her low cut dress. 

She was standing on the other side of the street and when she spotted Puck she called out an enthusiastic greeting, “It’s about time you showed up Puck.  It’s too cruel of you to make me go so long without you.” She then pouted in what she probably thought was a coy and becoming way.

Kurt thought in made her look like a trout. Was this really the kind of company Puck had sought? He couldn’t have chosen someone with less taste and class if he’d tried Kurt thought as he looked up at Puck with what he hoped was just the right amount of silent judgment without going over the top.

Puck had the decency to flush slightly as he waved over at the woman. “Hey Cherish, how ya doing?” He didn’t wait for her to answer, steering Kurt firmly away down the street. Kurt couldn’t help feeling smug that this ‘Cherish’ had gotten such a cold greeting from Puck. 

Kurt glanced back and was pleased to see Cherish glaring at him. This was good, Kurt thought, sending a sweet smile back at Cherish. She realized that Kurt was now Puck’s first priority.  Cherish and anyone else from Puck’s past would just have to accept that Kurt was a force to be reckoned with and he wasn’t going to give up his man to anyone.

**Puck**

Puck frowned as he and Kurt headed on down the street. He could actually feel the embarrassed flush on his cheeks. Puck couldn’t remember the last time he’d blushed; he was the epitome of man. So he had needs and had found ways to have those needs met. There was no reason for Kurt’s disappointed face to make him feel uncomfortable. Really, Kurt had no right to be upset with Puck because of things he’d done in the past. It wasn’t like Puck was going to start sleeping around again.

 _Although, sleeping with Cherish would prove that you don’t love Kurt,_ a little voice in Puck’s head said out of nowhere. Puck glanced down at Kurt in consideration. The carrier was walking close with his hands wrapped around Puck’s arms and his cheek was pressed against Puck’s bicep. The outward image of this was quite sweet and Puck really wished he could enjoy it, but he knew better then to get attached. 

Everyone Puck had ever loved had eventually left him for one reason or another. He didn’t have enough money; he didn’t live in a big enough house. Just because Kurt was his husband didn’t mean that that he wouldn’t eventually decide that he missed the fashion and parties of the big city and head back east. Puck knew it was too late for him not to be hurt when Kurt eventually left, but there were things he could do to lessen the pain. Maybe it was time for him to pay Cherish a visit.

Kurt seemed to be extra talkative that night. If Puck had been undecided about his plans for the night before, he was definitely sure after their dinner conversation. Every time Kurt had smiled his bright, cheerful smile from across the table, Puck had felt his chest tighten uncomfortably. 

Puck couldn’t tell if the feeling was a result of his quilt or his body giving him a warning sign of the pain he would feel when Kurt left. Whatever the cause, Puck wanted it to go away. By the time they were finishing the apple crisp Puck had his plan of action all worked out. 

He would take Kurt back to the hotel and get him settled for the night, than Puck would step out on the town. He wouldn’t stay out too long, just for an hour or so, just enough time to prove to himself that he had survived before Kurt came into his life and he would survive after Kurt left. 

Later that night in their hotel room, Puck couldn’t help thinking it was rather cute when Kurt went behind a screen to change into his night shirt. Even though Kurt no longer seemed to be self-conscious about his body, he could still become shy. 

When Kurt came out from behind the screen, Puck almost forgot about his plan to pay Cherish a visit. Kurt’s night shirt was pure white and made of this silky looking material that fluttered around his thighs in a most tempting way. But that made it all the more important that Puck went out. Puck watched as Kurt crawled under the bed covers, his movements vaguely sensual and Puck wanted nothing more than to join him, but he had a plan to stick to.

“Why are you just standing there?” Kurt’s voice broke into Puck’s thoughts. “Aren’t you going to come to bed?”

“Actually, I think I’m going to go for a walk,” Puck said, telling himself that his voice didn’t crack. “But you go ahead and go to sleep. I’ll be back later.”

Puck had expected Kurt to just take him at his word, but instead Kurt raised himself up on his elbows, eyes narrowed and mouth pinched. “Just how naïve do you think I am, Noah Puckerman?”

“W-what?”  Puck stammered.

“You can’t honestly expect me to believe you want to go for a walk at this time of night after we’ve been walking around town for the last four hours?”

“Well, what else would I be going out to do?” Puck asked, trying to recover his balance.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe you want to call on _Cherish_ for old time’s sake.” Kurt spat as though the name was distasteful in his mouth.

“So what if I am?” Puck snapped back, annoyed that Kurt had seen through his plan.

Kurt scrambled out of the bed and hurried across the room. “Oh my God, you’re not even denying it. You don’t honestly think I’m going to just let you sleep with that 2 cent prostitute, do you?”

“Hey, you have no right to call her that. Cherish is a nice girl.”

“And now you’re defending her!” Kurt shrieked, “What is wrong with you?”

“It’s just sex!” Puck shouted and then immediately wished he could take the words back, if only it would stop Kurt looking at him with that horrified expression. “Wait, Kurt, I didn’t mean-,”

SMACK!

Puck stumbled back a couple of steps, partly because he was so shocked that his usually demure husband would actually hit him and partly because it had really hurt! It took Puck a few seconds to reorient himself and by the time he had Kurt was back across the room changing out of his night shirt. 

“Kurt, wha-,”

“I’m sorry,” Kurt cut in. “I shouldn’t have hit you. You’re absolutely right; it’s just sex, no big deal.”  Kurt didn’t sound like it was no big deal though. In fact, he hadn’t sounded this angry when he was chewing Puck out for being late to pick him up from the train station.

“Well, alright then,” Puck started, still not completely sure what had just happened. “Wait, what are you doing?”

Kurt had changed out of his night shirt and had replaced it with a red shirt with a plunging neckline and dove breeches that clung to him in all the right places. “Isn’t it obvious?” Kurt asked, patting his hair into place. “If you’re going out on the town, I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t too.” Kurt then brushed past Puck and out the door.

Puck was so shocked it took him quite a while to gather his wits enough to follow Kurt. By that time Kurt was already out of the hotel and was making his way down the street towards the bar that Cherish worked at. Puck frowned and followed him, still not entirely sure what exactly was going on. He watched Kurt go into the bar and paused just outside. What could that kid be playing at?

Finally, he went in the bar when he heard some shouts coming from inside. Even if Kurt apparently could pack a decent punch, Puck doubted he would be able to hold his own in an actual fight. But the shouts turned out to be just a couple of guys fighting over a card game in the back. Kurt wasn’t anywhere near them, sitting at the bar and talking with the bar tender.

And laughing with the bar tender.

And really, being all together too friendly with this man he’d only just met.

Puck knew what he was feeling right now was jealousy, but at the moment he was too pissed off to care. He marched across the room towards Kurt and grabbed his arm, perhaps a little too tightly. Puck loosened his grip almost immediately, not wanting to hurt Kurt, but glad that it took his attention away from simpering at the beer drenched home wreaker behind the bar.

“What the _hell_ do you think you’re doing?” Puck hissed, glaring at said home wreaker, who squeaked and scurried off to help customers somewhere else.

“Oh, Puck, now look what you’ve done,” Kurt pouted. “You scared him off.”

“You’re darn right I scared him off. You were _flirting_ with him.”

“What’s the big deal, Puck?” Kurt asked, eyebrow raised in challenge. “It’s just sex.”

Puck let out a breath, honestly impressed by his husband’s cunning. “Alright, you made your point,” Puck sighed, stroking Kurt’s cheek. “Can we just go back to the hotel and talk about this? I honestly don’t think I can stand all these men checking you out any longer.”

Kurt flushed and glanced around, as if he honestly didn’t know he’d had the attention of everyone in the bar from the moment he walked in. He was leaning into Puck’s touch when he suddenly stiffened. Surprised by Kurt’s change in demeanor, Puck glanced around and soon realized the cause when he followed Kurt’s line of sight and saw Cherish making her way over to them. 

“Puck, hello!” she called. “I’ve been expecting you.” Cherish then plastered herself to Puck’s side. 

“Cherish, I was actually just leaving,” Puck said, trying to remove his arm from Cherish’s grip.

“Don’t be like that. Come on; let’s go somewhere a little more private.”

Puck closed his eyes in preparation of Kurt’s anger. He was expecting Kurt to hit him again, so he wasn’t surprised to hear the slap, but he was surprised not to feel any pain. Puck opened his eyes to see Cherish with a shocked look on her face and a hand to her cheek.

“Now listen to me, you hussy,” Kurt snarled, radiating anger. “I’m sure you had your fun in the past, but Puck is _my husband_ now and you are never getting your poorly manicured claws into him again.”

“You bitch!” Cherish yelled, slapping Kurt back.

 Before Puck could move between the two, they were locked together, screaming on the floor and pulling hair. It started a chain reaction and soon everyone in the bar was fighting, even if they didn’t know why, they just wanted to throw stuff.

Puck had been in situations like this before and he knew it was only a matter of time before the authorities showed up. He stepped over a smashed chair and ducked to avoid a thrown bottle of whisky before he reached where Kurt and Cherish were still biting and scratching at each other.

“Ok, time to break it up,” Puck yelled over the noise. They both ignored him.  “Fine, be that way,” he grumbled. He grabbed Kurt around the waist and forcibly pulled the two apart.  It took quite a bit of strength to get them to separate, but eventually he managed it. He threw Kurt over his shoulder and booked it out of there. 

The whole way back to the hotel Kurt was beating his fists against Puck’s back and screaming, “Puck, you put me down right now! I’m going to get her, how dare she? I’m going to tear that whore apart!”

Puck ignored all this until he got Kurt safely back to the hotel without getting arrested for disturbing the peace. In the room, Puck laid Kurt down on the bed and held him there until Kurt stopped trying to get away. As soon as he stopped struggling Puck loosened his grip and ran a finger next to a bruise that was already developing on Kurt’s jaw.

“Got a little crazy there, huh?” Puck said softly.

Kurt groaned. “I can’t believe I lost it like that. I just got so mad when she was touching you and then she actually suggested you two get a room,” Kurt trailed off, blushing. 

“It’s alright,” Puck said. “I probably would have punched that bar tender if he’d try to touch you.”

 Kurt gave a sheepish smile and ran his hands up Pucks back. “So, are you going to tell me why you wanted to sleep with that woman in the first place?”

“Preparation, I guess,” Puck mumbled, wishing there was some way to avoid this conversation. 

“Preparation for what?”

“You know, for when you leave.”

“What? Puck I’m not going anywhere, what are you talking about?”  Kurt asked, clearly confused.

“I’m not as stupid as you might think I am. I know you’ll get bored out here and head back east eventually.”

“Are you serious? Puck, I’ve already hit you once today, don’t make me do it again.”

“Huh?”  Puck said, it wasn’t the most articulate, but it was really the best he could come up with.

“Puck, I have no intention of ever going back east. I meant it when I said I would be married to you forever.”

“Kurt,” Puck pressed his mouth to Kurt’s, needing to devour that sweet mouth he was so relieved.  The two exchanged wet kisses for some time before Kurt started to push Puck away.

“No, Puck,” Kurt said firmly. “You aren’t getting out of this that easily. Even if I was planning on leaving, why would sleeping around help?”

“Well, I guess I didn’t think it through, but I thought it would help me deal with my feelings.”

“What feelings?”

Puck paused for a moment, unsure if he should say the truth or not. Finally, he took a deep breath and looked straight into Kurt’s eyes.

“Kurt, I love you.”

**Kurt**

Kurt found that he could only stare up at his husband in shock at his words. It wasn’t until Puck started rubbing his thumbs over Kurt’s cheeks and making reassuring shushing noises that Kurt realized he had started crying. Once he’d realized it though, he found he wasn’t able to stop. Kurt pulled Puck close and buried his face in Puck’s neck, slapping Puck’s back a few times for effect.

“You jerk! I can’t believe you; I thought you were getting bored of me. In what universe is refusing to touch me an expression of love?”

“What are you talking about?  I touch you all the time.”

“For sex! When was the last time you touched me for no other reason than just because?”

“I, uh, well every time I touched you I remembered I loved you and I was going to be so hurt when you left.”

“But I’m not going anywhere, which you would know if you’d just talked to me instead of being such a stupid jerk and making me feel so horrible.”

“I’m sorry…I didn’t realize…I just…I’m sorry.” Puck started pressing soft kisses of apology over Kurt’s face.  Kurt was sure he should still be mad and punish Puck somehow for his stupidity, but he was so glad to have Puck close to him that he just wanted to keep Puck on top of him. 

“I love you too, you know,” he said into Puck’s ear. Puck head jerked back and he stared into Kurt’s eyes as if trying to find some falsehood in that statement, but Kurt just smiled up at Puck and after a minute Puck grinned.

“Say it again.”

“I love you. Now you say it.”

Back and forth they went until they both fell asleep, tangled up in each other’s arms and each other’s love.

After that everything seemed different. Kurt hadn’t known that the simple act of loving someone and being loved by them in return could have such a powerful affect on his life. Suddenly it was like there was this connection between him and Puck that wasn’t there before. They were finishing each other’s sentences and using any excuse to be close to each other. They would talk about anything now from how likely it was to rain tomorrow to how bored they’d both gotten during Sunday services as a kid.

Kurt had gotten pretty sick for a couple of weeks. He’d had some sort of stomach flu and it seemed like everything he ate got thrown back up. Puck had been amazing during that time.  He’d made Kurt cup after cup of tea to try to help sooth his stomach and he’d pressed cool, wet cloths to the back of Kurt’s neck when he was throwing up. Kurt had been worried that Puck would get sick too, but his husband must have a very strong constitution because he never did become ill.

Puck became more helpful in other areas too. He started drying the dishes after Kurt had washed them and he stopped leaving his clothes lying all over the place. A couple of times while Kurt hadn’t been feeling well he’d even tried to cook dinner. Kurt didn’t know how that man had managed to feed himself before they got married because his pot roast had nearly burned the whole house down.

And then there was the sex. If Kurt had thought their love life was good before, then it was explosive now. Though the idea still made him blush at times, Kurt was really glad that Puck had made him get over his reluctance towards sex. Kurt had never felt as alive as he did when Puck was inside him, filling him again and again. 

The first time Puck had come onto Kurt when they weren’t in bed, grinding up behind him while he was setting the table, Kurt had nearly past out he’d been so embarrassed. He didn’t stop Puck though and Puck had lifted up his skirt and taken him bent over the table.  Kurt had scrabbled trying to find purchase as Puck took him with enough force to move the heavy oak table nearly a foot. It had been days before Kurt could look at that table without blushing.

As the days got hotter, Kurt had started spending more and more time outside. He’d made Puck turn some ground next to the house so he could plant a vegetable garden and he spent hours weeding and tending as the little green shoots grew bigger and began to bear fruit. 




He’d been devastated the night three of the chick failed to return to the coop. He and Puck had searched for them for nearly an hour only to find a mess of feathers and some blood in the barn. Kurt had cried and refused to let the chicks out the next day for fear the culprit would return. That afternoon, Puck had gone out and had come back with a collie pup in his arms. Kurt had cooed over the puppy’s cuteness, but had looked up in surprise when Puck said he could let the chick back out now.

“You can’t expect a puppy like this to guard the chicks, he’s so little he could get hurt if something came by,” Kurt said holding the puppy protectively to his chest.

“He’ll protect them just by being here. Any fox or weasel in the area will smell him and stay away,” Puck explained. 

They’d named the puppy Maestro, or rather Kurt had. Puck had wanted to name him Jack or something, but Kurt had vetoed that immediately. Maestro was supposed to stay outside all the time, but the first night they’d had him there had been a huge thunderstorm. Kurt had been worried that he would get sick staying out in all that rain so they’d brought him inside, “Just for tonight,” Puck had cautioned. 

Kurt had agreed, but Maestro seemed to have other plans. Now that he knew there were soft beds and people to play with him inside he took every opportunity possible to sneak in. He was so little that he usually managed to stay undetected for quite awhile. It helped that Kurt didn’t have the heart to rat him out when he noticed the mischievous puppy under the table or behind Puck’s boots. 

Once Puck spotted him though, he always took the puppy back outside, but then Maestro would start crying and Kurt would turn his own puppy eyes on Puck and get Maestro let in, “But this is the last time!” Puck would say. Kurt would smile and let Maestro give him sweet puppy kisses.  Puck could protest all he wanted; Maestro could come inside whenever he wanted. 

All in all, Kurt felt his life was pretty great. He had a loving husband who was amazing in bed. He had made friends with the people in Oak Grove and even if they didn’t have many social events the ones they did have were spectacular. The 4th of July celebration had been on par with the most impressive galas back east. Kurt was actually pretty good when it came to this country living. He enjoyed working in his garden and clucking over his chicks and having his own little house to tend to. Yes, Kurt honestly didn’t see how his live could possibly get any better.

That is, he didn’t until he was getting dressed one morning towards the end of the summer. Kurt was planning on doing laundry that day so he just pulled on some old pants and one of Puck’s shirts. All of Puck’s clothes might be hideous plaid, but it had the same earthy scent of Puck that Kurt loved, so sometimes he would steal a shirt for awhile when he was doing dirty work. Still, it wouldn’t do to even do laundry in such a wrinkled shirt. Kurt sighed at Puck’s lack of ability to hold things properly as he tried to smooth the shirt down as best he could. 

And froze which his hand over his middle.      




“Oh, my god,” Kurt whispered.

“What’s wrong, babe?”  Puck asked from the table where he was eating breakfast. 

Kurt beamed over at him. “Puck, come here. Place your hand here,” Kurt instructed, replacing his hand with Puck’s own.

Puck palmed Kurt’s stomach for a second, clearly confused before settling on the small bump in Kurt’s abdomen.  He stayed like that for a long moment before looking up at Kurt, his face a mix of shock and pleasure and excitement.

“You’re pregnant.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Puck**

Puck circled his work thoughtfully.  He always put a lot of effort into his wood carvings, but this crib was going to be for his child and needed to be absolutely perfect.  There couldn’t be a single rough edge that the baby could get splinters from.  Puck had gone over the crib with a piece of sandpaper until it was a smooth as silk. 

As he ran a hand down one of the legs to make sure it was sturdy enough, Puck figured it was finished.  Puck stood up to check the rails and idly wondered what it would be like to place his baby boy or girl in here for the very first time.

“There you are,” Kurt’s voice interrupted Puck’s thoughts. “I’ve been calling you for ages. I thought you’d gone out to the woods when you didn’t answer.”

“Sorry, babe,” Puck apologized, “I was just putting the finishing touches on the baby’s crib.”

Kurt walked over to him. Well, technically he was waddling now, but Puck figured he should probably keep that thought to himself.

“It looks amazing, Puck. You have a real talent for this, you know?”

“Thanks, I want our kid to be able to have nice things.”

Kurt wrapped an arm around his waist, smiling up at him with that brilliant smile.  “You are going to be an amazing father. Our kid is so lucky to have you as such.”

Puck pressed a kiss to Kurt’s temple, warmth spreading in through him, despite the cold.  “What did you need me for, babe?”

“I was thinking we could go into town today. I still have some Christmas shopping that I need to do and Miss Jones should be settled in by now; we should go welcome her properly.”

“The new school teacher; why? We just meet her at church last Sunday.”

“Puck,” Kurt admonished, smacking his chest. “This woman is going to be our children’s educator. The one who will teach them to read and write and the secrets of the world. After us, she will be the one with the most influence to mold them into the adults they will ultimately become.”

“And you want to make sure she’s up to the job?”

“Well, actually,” Kurt shifted, “I was going to say it wouldn’t hurt to make a good impression, but I like your reasoning better, so we’re going to go with that.”

“Sounds good,” Puck laughed. “Give me a few minutes to clean up here and we can head on out.”

“Great,” Kurt grinned. “I’ll go make us some hot chocolate for the trip.”

When Puck lead Flame out of the barn Kurt was waiting for them, with a large mug of hot chocolate for them and a few sugar cubes for Flame.

“You’re going to spoil her,” Puck half-heartedly protested.

“Oh hush,” Kurt said. “She’s such a good old girl, she deserves to be spoiled.”

Puck rolled his eyes, but snuck Flame a bit of carrot from his pocket when he thought Kurt wasn’t looking.  He’s pretty sure Kurt did see, but if he did, he didn’t say anything.

The trip to town should have been bitterly cold, but with Kurt’s hot chocolate and the heavy furs they managed to stay pretty warm. It was actually rather cozy with both of them bundled up together with the snow all around.

Kurt spent nearly all the whole trip debating with himself about whether it was too soon to ask Miss Jones about what her discipline methods were and whether she thought Latin or Greek was the more appropriate base for analyzing word origins.

Since Puck didn’t speak a word of either Latin or Greek and he was pretty much planning on Kurt handling any disciplining issues with their kids so he could be strictly the fun parent he didn’t have that much to contribute to the conversation. Still, there was nothing more fun than listening to Kurt rant with himself, so he decided to just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Things really started to get interesting when they arrived at Miss Jones’ new dwelling. She was renting a couple of rooms at the back of the Hudson’s house and had made an open invitation at the church service for people to drop by and get to know her better, so Puck didn’t feel too bad about stopping by unannounced. Still, maybe he should try to subtly warn her about Kurt’s investigation on her teaching abilities, before Kurt got past the required niceties and got at the meat of his visit.

Miss Jones seemed like a nice enough women, certainly friendlier than any of the school teacher’s Puck ever had. She welcomed them out of the cold with a smile and fresh backed cinnamon bread and seated them down in her parlor next to the fireplace.

She was also smart as a whip and seemed to instinctively know the real reason behind their visit. Once they’d made it through the standard polite inquiries of health and satisfaction with Oak Grove, Miss Jones, or Mercedes as she insisted they call them asked, “So, will I be graced with any of your children when I start teaching after Christmas?”

Kurt immediately jumped at this opening and Puck decided to just wait out their discussion.

“Actually,” Kurt said placing a hand over his stomach. “This is our first child, so it will be a few years before they’ll be old enough for school. However, I’m glad you brought the subject up. I hope you won’t think I’m questioning your abilities, I just wanted to ask you a couple questions about your teaching methods.”

“I thought so,” Mercedes nodded. “You aren’t the first couple to come by to ask me the same thing, though you are the first to be thinking so far in advance,” she said with a nod to Kurt’s belly.

Kurt blushed by leaned forward eagerly when Mercedes pulled out several large notebooks. Puck mostly tuned them out as they talked about lesson plans. It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested about his children’s education, he just wasn’t…that interested. As long as they learned to read and write, could do some basic math, he figured they would do alright in the world.

He didn’t think being able to speak Latin or knowing the difference between watercolor or oil paintings would really help them that much in life, but it was important to Kurt, so he wasn’t going to put up a fuss. Besides the cinnamon bread was really good and Puck could eat as much as he wanted until they were finished talking.

Finally, Mercedes started putting her books away and Kurt stood up to shake her hand. “Thank you, Mercedes,” Kurt said. “This all looks wonderful. I can honestly tell you that I will sleep better tonight knowing that my children’s education will be in such competent hands.”

“It’s no problem,” Mercedes replied, shaking both Kurt’s and Puck’s hand. “If you don’t mind me asking, how much longer will it be before the young one is brought into the world?”

“We still have a couple more weeks, but believe me the day cannot come soon enough. I’d like to be able to see my shoes again sometime.”

Mercedes laughed as she ushered them out the door, “Well, I’ll have to find someone to drive me out to your place after the New Year so I can greet him or her properly. And if you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. It’s far better for parents to take an interest in their children’s education then to not care.”

As she closed the door behind them, Kurt seemed to have a bit of a spring to his step as they headed up the street to Berry’s.

“Oh Puck, I feel so much better after that talking with her, don’t you?”

“Uh,”

“I mean, yes, I’m not sure I agree with her completely on her decision to focus on the poetry of Burns instead of Wordsworth, but I have a collection of his works. It isn’t really that big a deal to have our children read that at home instead of at school.”

“And I love that she knows German well enough to teach the older grades. Of course, French is  the more common language to teach school children, but I speak French fluently so I can teach them that at home and they will be able to learn German at school. So, our children will be able to learn two languages instead of just one. Isn’t that wonderful?”

“Sounds great,” Puck said, trying to sound as enthusiastic as Kurt.

“You were awfully quiet back there,” Kurt mused. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine. I guess I just get more excited about teaching our kids how to fish then French.”

Kurt wrapped his hand around Puck’s arm and beamed up at him, “That is why we are going to be the best parents ever. Our kids will get the best of both worlds.”

**Kurt**

Kurt sighed as he made the trip up and down the few aisles of Berry’s yet again. He was trying to find the perfect Christmas present for Puck. He’d already had some presents for his husband. He’d knitted Puck a dark brown sweater the same color as his eyes and had bought as set of engraving tools for his woodwork.

But he still wanted to find something special, something that wasn’t practical but would be important to Puck on a deeper level. He’d made Puck promise to stay at Finn’s for at least an hour so he wouldn’t see what Kurt picked out for him.

That hour was almost up and so far he hadn’t found anything and he was beginning to think that he wouldn’t. If there was ever a time that he missed the vast shop range of the big city, this was it.

“You know,” David’s voice interrupted his search. “If you told me what you were looking for I could probably help you find it faster.”

“Thanks David, but I’m not really looking for anything in particular. I was just hoping to find something special for Puck for Christmas.”

“Oh, then you definitely should have said something sooner. I have just the thing for you.”

David motioned Kurt back into the storeroom. “Now give me a minute while I try to find it. I set it aside years ago and my memory isn’t what it used to be. Aha, here it is.” David pulled a guitar, of all things, from behind a stack of flour bags.

“A guitar?” Kurt asked, not wanting to seem like he was questioning David’s judgment, but still, a guitar? “Puck doesn’t really strike me as the musical type.”

“Well, then get ready to be surprised, my friend,” David said, flipping the instrument over to show Kurt the one word etched into the back, ‘Puck.’

“Oh my goodness,” Kurt said, reaching for the guitar. “This is Puck’s?”

“Yep, he sold it right after he moved out here to pay off the debt he owed before his first crop came in. It was clearly a hard item for him to part with so I kept it back here for him to buy back once he had some money in his pocket.”

“But that must have been years ago,” Kurt said. “Why didn’t he ever come back for it?”

“I think he was just too proud to ask if I had kept it instead of selling it to someone else.”

“Yes, that does sound like Puck,” Kurt said fondly, running his hand down the side. “I’ll take it. Thank you so much for your help, this will be perfect.”

The timing was perfect too as Kurt just managed to get the guitar hidden under some extra furs in the back of the wagon before Puck came around the corner.

“Sweetheart, you’re hiding things from me now?” Puck teased.

“Well, I have to or it wouldn’t be a surprise now would it?” Kurt shot back. “Now don’t try getting a peek. You have to wait until Christmas morning like everybody else.”

Puck gave the most adorable pout that Kurt just had to lean up to kiss the jutting bottom lip, “Now don’t be like that. Christmas is only two weeks away; it won’t seem like any time at all.”

Kurt barely noticed the long trip home he was so excited finalizing his plans for Christmas.  While Puck was busy in the barn, he would sneak the guitar up to the loft. Puck hardly ever went up there anymore unless Kurt asked him to get something so it was the perfect place for Kurt to hide presents for his husband. 

He needed to get everything wrapped and tomorrow he would send Puck out to chop down a tree for them. They could spend the day decorating it with the tinsel that Kurt had gotten earlier that week. Once the decorating was done, Kurt could turn his full attention to baking. He had made sure they would have plenty of flour, sugar, chocolate and the like for the holiday season.

Christmas had always been an important holiday for Kurt and he wanted the first one he shared with his husband to be a perfect, special memory. Kurt lay his head on Puck’s shoulder as they drove through the snow, smiling at his plans.

Christmas morning would dawn bright and clear with newly fallen snow. Puck would love the presents Kurt had gotten him, and of course Kurt would love anything Puck got him. They would stuff themselves with good food and finish the day off with awesome Christmas sex under the tree and everything would be perfect.

Except that it wouldn’t.

What Kurt didn’t know when he was making all his perfect plans was that later that night, he and Puck would be laughing about some random thing over dinner when Kurt began to feel some tension in his midsection.

At first, he didn’t think anything of it. He just had a little indigestion or the baby had found some new way to make him uncomfortable. But as the evening wore on, what had started out as just a little discomfort began to really hurt.

Kurt gasped as pain suddenly flashed through his whole body, seeming to pulse from his stomach and he doubled over from the force of it.

“Kurt, are you alright?” came Puck’s voice, as if from a far distance.

Kurt could feel the fear racing though his veins as he looked up. “No, Puck, something’s wrong. Puck, I think it’s the baby.”

“What? But it’s too soon, it’s not due for three more weeks.”

“Nng!” Kurt ground out though another flash of pain. “I don’t think the baby knows how to read a calendar.”

“Oh, oh god, this is really happening. Ok, I can handle this. What do I do? Should I boil water? Should you lay down? You should-,”

“Puck,” Kurt cut though his husband’s rambling. “I think something’s seriously wrong. You need to go get Doc Brown.”

“I can’t just leave you alone!”

“I’ll be fine,” Kurt assured, trying to hide how much his knees were shaking and how scared he was for his baby. “Just hurry.”

**Puck**

Puck had never moved so fast and at the same time so slow in his life. He ran out the door, barely pausing to grab his coat. He raced to the barn, cursing the snow that seemed to be dragging him down. He pulled himself onto Flame’s back without bothering with a saddle and whispered a plea in her ear to run as fast as she could.

As the wind whipped Puck in his face, he tried to keep his mind on the ride, if only to keep his mind from going back to the sight of Kurt’s scared, pained face.  But no matter how hard he tried his thoughts would slip back there every few minutes and his body would tense up all over again.

Flame seemed to sense his desperation, because she was stretching herself to the limit, all but flying over the ground. By the time they made it into town, her flanks were heaving. Puck pulled her to a stop outside the house Doc Brown stayed at when he was in town and began shouting before his feet had touched the ground.  
  
“Doc! Doc, open up!” Puck hollered as he pounded on the door.

“Puck, what’s going on? Calm down, boy,” Doc Brown said, placing a hand on Puck’s shoulder.

“Doc, something’s wrong with baby. We think it’s coming too soon.”

“Alright, calm down. This happens sometimes with first pregnancies, especially for carriers. I’ve got a fresh horse I can take out to your place and check on Kurt. You cool your horse down a little bit and then follow. Don’t worry, everything’s going to be fine.”

As Puck watched the doctor ride out of town he began to breathe more easily. Doc Brown was a good guy, he wouldn’t lie to Puck. Kurt was going to be fine, the baby was going to be fine, everything was going to be just fine.

“How you doing, ol’ girl?” Puck murmured to Flame, rubbing her neck. He got a snort in response that sent a blast of hot air over his face. “Yeah, I’m sorry I ran you so hard. I was just worried about Kurt, but the doc’s going to take care of everything now.”

Puck walked Flame up and down the street to cool her down a bit before settling himself on her back and heading back home. He didn’t push Flame as hard going back, but he still kept her at a pretty fast pace. After something happening to Kurt or the baby, the worst thing that could happen would be for Puck to miss the birth.

Unfortunately, what little peace Puck had been able to find vanished as his house came back into view. As Flame slowed to a stop outside the front door Puck tensed at what he heard. Even 30 feet away, he could clearly hear what could only be Kurt’s screams of anguish.

He rushed into the house, heart in his throat. The first things he saw was Kurt’s tear streaked face screwed up in pain.

“Kurt!” Puck cried as he hastened to his side. “Baby, it’s alright, I’m here now. Doc, you said everything was going to be alright.” Puck ran a hand through Kurt’s sweaty hair wishing there was a way for him to take away his beloved’s pain.

“Puck, I know this is hard for you to understand, but there is always pain with childbirth. Kurt is doing fine and just needs to push through it a little longer. However, I don’t think your anxiety is going to help. Why don’t you go put your horse in the barn and take a few minutes to calm down?”

“But, I can’t just leave-,” Puck started, but Kurt interrupted.

“No, it’s okay Puck, really. I’d really rather you didn’t see me like this.”

Puck frowned, he really didn’t want to leave Kurt’s side, but he knew how important it was to his husband to be perfectly put together. How many times had Kurt demanded Puck look away when his hair had been mussed by the wind?

“Alright, I’ll go take care of Flame, but I’ll be right outside if you need me.”

It only took five minutes for Puck to get Flame settled in the barn, he brushed her down and gave her some extra grain for being so awesome this evening. Once he could no longer find a reason to stay in the barn he moved outside and stood aimlessly in the snow.

For some reason, even though he’d had months to prepare for this day it suddenly seemed like it was all happening very fast. A year ago he had just been some bachelor farmer, but then Kurt had come into his life and now he was minutes away from becoming a father.

Was he ready for this, really ready? Puck knew Kurt thought he would make a good father, but would he really or would he end up being just as useless as his own father. As Puck looked up as the star filled sky he wondered if there was anything he could have done differently to be better prepared for this.

Before he could come up with an answer though, another cry tore through the air. This one wasn’t from Kurt though; this one clearly came from the mouth of an infant.

Puck stood frozen for all of three second before he could move towards the house, towards the sound of the baby, _his baby_. He flung the door open and his chest squeezed impossibly tight at the sight in front of him.

Kurt’s hair was still sweaty and plastered to his face, but his face was aglow with happiness and Puck didn’t think he’d ever looked more beautiful. Kurt was smiling down at a little bundle in his arms, but when he noticed Puck in the doorway he turned that glorious smile in his direction.

“Puck, come meet your son.”

Puck found himself moving forward as if in a dream, his legs were moving, but it was as if he was aware of this fact from a second perspective, his first priority focused on the image on the bed.

“Son?” Puck croaked as he neared the bed, “It’s a boy?”

“Yes, isn’t he the most beautiful thing you ever saw?” Kurt murmured, leaning into the press a kiss to the baby’s head.

Puck wasn’t sure if beautiful was really the word he would use. With a red, wrinkled face the baby looked kind of like a tomato that had been left out in the sun for days on end. But one of the baby’s little hands was poking out of the blanket he was wrapped in. It was opening and closing like he was searching for something to grab onto.

Puck reached out a hand to run a finger over that tiny, perfect hand and the second his finger touched the baby latched on and held tight. The hand was so little that it only just barely made it around Puck’s finger, but for some reason the hold felt so strong that Puck didn’t think he could have moved even if he wanted to.

“He’s perfect,” Puck whispered, not realizing until he felt the salt on his lips that he was crying. Kurt didn’t call him out on it though, just smiled at him and said, “Do you want to hold him?”

Puck couldn’t seem to get any words out of his mouth, so he just nodded and reached down to scoop the little bundle up. He held the baby carefully in his arms, still feeling that immense weight in his chest. He sat down on the bed next to Kurt turning slightly to look him in the eyes.

“I can’t believe this is actually happening,” Puck choked out.

Kurt didn’t respond. He just moved over so he was pressed against Puck’s back, pressing a kiss on Puck’s shoulder.

**Kurt**

Kurt took another sip of tea, enjoying this small break after all the craziness of the last couple of weeks. He loved little J.B. but the boy was quite a handful. Still all the crying and lack of sleep was worth it for the few times his son looked up at him with those big, blue eyes.

And Puck had been wonderful, always on hand help with their little bundle of joy. And it had been his idea to name the baby after Kurt’s father.

“I know how much you miss your father,” Puck had said when they were discussing names. “We should use his name, in honor of his memory.” So Jonathon Burton Puckerman’s birth had been added to the church’s registry. The name was a little too big for such a little baby so they had started calling him simply J.B.

For the most part J.B. was a happy baby. He rarely fussed without cause, but when he was hungry or needed his nappy change he would break out a very impressive set of lungs. He’d started screaming tonight jolting Kurt out of a deep sleep.

It had taken Kurt over an hour to get J.B. to go back to sleep and now it was so close to morning that Kurt didn’t see the point of trying to go back to bed. Besides it was Christmas morning and the snow was reflecting the light from a clear starlit sky with just the barest hint of sunrise on the horizon.

There was a small fir tree leaning against the wall with a pile of presents around it. The only one missing was Puck’s guitar. That one had been too difficult to wrap so Kurt was keeping it hidden up in the loft to pull out at the last minute.

His husband and baby were both sleeping soundly. Puck was sprawled on his stomach; his arms that were normally wrapped around Kurt were now wrapped around a pillow. J.B. was snuffling softly, his little fist jammed into his mouth.  Kurt wasn’t sure which one made a more adorable picture.

With a pleased sigh Kurt turned his gaze back out the window. Soon one or both of the men in his life would wake up and the quiet would be broken by excited words and kisses and gurgles from J.B. who wouldn’t understand what was going on, but would want to be a part of the excitement anyways. Life was pretty great right now.

Kurt didn’t know how much time had passed when he was broken out of his thoughts by Puck’s arm circling around his waist.

“Hey, did I wake you?”

“Mm, smelled the coffee,” Puck replied nuzzling the back of Kurt’s neck. They stood in silence for a few minutes before rustling started coming from the crib, signally J.B. would be waking up soon.

“Should we go get the kid and get this party started?” Puck questioned. 

“In a minute,” Kurt said, pulling Puck down for a kiss.

Yeah, life was pretty great.

 


End file.
